My Name? Shadow Mousy
by Jezzebelles-Chii
Summary: Sannakii is the new girl on the block, and is Daisuke's orphan little cousin! Staying in Daisuke's house would be a problem, especially because of the new Shadow Thief around town...
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Min-Min sat on the young girl's shoulder as the taxi dropped the young girl off. This little girl was Sannakii Niwa. It was ten o'clock. And it was July 22… two days after her parents and grandmother's death. And no one decided to take her in. So she had to stay at her Aunt's house… and her cousin, Daisuke Niwa. She walked up to the door warily, as the black cat upon her shoulder pressed her head against Sannakii's check, purring loudly. The white, crescent moon scar over her right eye glowed under the moon's rays, along with the white star on the front of her long tail.

"It's only me and you now Min-Min… Mama, Papa, and Grandma are all gone. And no one else will take us. Let's hope they accept me here…" Sannakii sighed, brushing her light blue hair out of her dark gray eyes, which were accented with black eyeliner, which made them look more elegant. She walked up to the door and quietly knocked on the door. Then she waited. About three minutes passed by and her Aunt opened the door for her. Sannakii blinked her eyes from the sudden brightness of the house spilling upon her night-accustomed eyes.

"Ah! It's Sannakii! Come in, it's a little cold out tonight!" Daisuke's mom, whom Sannakii called 'Aunt' and that's it, ushered her in. Daisuke's grandfather looked at her with an eyebrow raised, as Min-Min met his gaze with a cool, pale blue one. "Sannakii, sweetie, take your coat off and give me your bag! I'll show you where you're staying!" Aunt Niwa said, as Sannakii blinked her eyes a few more times, and then spoke again.

"Where's Daisuke?" She said quietly, and then, suddenly, Aunt Niwa stiffened. She looked to Sannakii with a reassuring smile.

"Daisuke? Oh he's with some friends right now!" She said, and then ushered me up the stairs and into a spare room down a long hallway. It had a big bed, a dresser, and even a table and mirror. Sannakii smiled. "Now, settle yourself in, honey and I'll be downstairs if you need anything!" Aunt Niwa left without another word, as Sannakii flipped the lights on quickly and looked around. Then, she emptied her bag as Min-Min looked out onto the balcony, blinking her eyes once in an entire ten minutes. Sannakii had then gotten changed out of her street clothes and placed on an expensive looking nightgown. It trailed along the floor, and it was as black as night. It had designs of sakura blossoms blooming from the waist and out, and the sleeves were long and transparent.

Min-Min suddenly leapt out onto the balcony of her room, and stood on the pole, meowing to the moon softly. Sannakii ran out; trying to silence the cat, but then spotted a teenager looking at her from the top of another house. She felt his dark purple eyes settle in her own, as his dark purple hair whipped around his head in a passing by wind. Black wings came from his back, as Min-Min yowled out again. The boy then flew upwards and into the ground, where even Min-Min's sharp gaze lost him in the shadows.

Sannakii then ran to her door, only to find it locked shut from the outside. "Wha-" Sannakii tried yanking the door harder. Nothing. She couldn't even hear any of her relatives downstairs; she was placed so far away from the stairwell. Sannakii sighed and then sat down on the edge of her bed, just as Min-Min leapt up and sat upon her lap, purring loudly. Suddenly, she saw her door open, and her cousin stepped in. He looked tired, as if he had run a mile or something like that.

"Hello Sannakii. You finally found a place to stay?" He asked, as Sannakii nodded her head slowly, as if she felt as if she was talking to an idiot. "Ah, I should have known that." Daisuke rubbed the back of his neck, as something that looked like a rabbit jumped on his shoulder. Both the rabbit and Min-Min stared at each other for about two minutes before the rabbit blinked his red eyes. "If you're staying here, you'll be going to my school now too, I guess." Daisuke continued, as finally, Sannakii spoke.

"And I have to wear a uniform… You mom told me." She said, as Daisuke grabbed the rabbit off his shoulder. "What is that anyway?" Sannakii raised an eyebrow at the rabbit, as Daisuke explained.

"This is Wiz. I've had him with me for as long as I can remember. And I see you brought a pet as well…" Daisuke then placed Wiz back on his shoulder, as it tilted his head at Sannakii, who replied back to Daisuke.

"Min-Min. She's been with my family ever since I was born, and she's still as healthy as a young kitten." Sannakii smiled, as she looked at the time. "It was a little late for you to be out with some friends... you know." Sannakii teased, smiling slightly. Daisuke seemed to back away, as if nervous.

"Well… I had some unfinished business to attend to… I'm sorry I have to go! Goodnight!" He ran out of the room as Sannakii shrugged and stood up to close the door. As she did, she closed the windows to the outside, and then laid down on her bad, her long light blue hair resting behind her like a fan, and her bangs resting softly into her eyes. Min-Min rested on her chest, as Sannakii pet Min-Min's head, and then drifted off into a peaceful rest.

"Sannakii for the final time wake up!" Sannakii ignored the voice once more, groaning and turning over. That's when Min-Min bit her ear, and jolted upright, causing Min-Min to leapt up five feet in the air. Sannakii shook her head, her eyes all blurry, until she saw Daisuke's Mom glaring at her. "You're late to school, and on your very first day! Come on, get dressed!" She pushed Sannakii onto the floor and ran out of the room. Sannakii groaned and put on what Aunt Niwa told her to put on. The school's uniform, it seemed to be.

She must have ordered it early… Sannakii thought as she walked over the mirror, and brushed out her messy hair, and then tied it back in a black bow. She then outlined her eyes so professionally with black eyeliner, placed on the right shoes, and then walked out of her room, Min-Min walking on dainty legs behind her. Daisuke must have just woken up as well, because he stretched and looked as if he had slept for twelve years and still wasn't ready to wake up. "Morning." Sannakii said, stretching and yawning.

"Morning." Daisuke said back, just as he motioned out the door. Sannakii instinctively grabbed a bag that had her initials on it; she thought that probably should be brought to school with her. She walked behind Daisuke, and then spotted a newspaper headline. It was in big, bold, red letters. When Daisuke's eyes fell upon the title, he kicked the newspaper away as if he didn't like what it said. It read…

**DARK STRIKES AGAIN, STEALING THE FAMOUS PAININTG _LERUVE_**

Sannakii blinked her eyes several times, and then picked up the paper and flipped to the second page. Another big headline was there. Wow, must be 'Giant, Bold, Red Headline Day if I didn't know any better… She thought to herself, as she read this new headline.

**NEW THEIF APPROACHES: SHADOW IS TO STEAL THE SILVER CROWN**

This one Daisuke did pay attention too. He blinked several times and then shrugged. "As if Dark wasn't enough, now we have a new lunatic wandering the streets at night. This is such a great place to live in…" Daisuke muttered, as Sannakii threw the paper over her shoulder back into a trash bin. She sighed and stretched, as she walked towards the school Daisuke was leading her too.

Sannakii sighed and looked around. So many new faces, a very scary time to be in. She hated new people, she was afraid of not fitting in. But as if right on cue, another girl with short, reddish brown hair ran towards her. A crazy looking friend had already dragged off Daisuke, as the girl in front of her stopped and began to speak.

"Hey, you're new here right? Why were you walking with Niwa?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Sannakii.

"I'm living in his house because it's the only place I can stay as of right now…" Sannakii said, looking to the strange girl, who seemed jealous. The girl sighed, and then looked back up at Sannakii.

"Alrighty then, I better introduce myself. I am Riku Harada. And you are?" She said, as Sannakii wasted no time in picking up the conversation. Riku extended her hand even before Sannakii spoke.

"I am Sannakii Niwa." She smiled, and took Riku's hand and shook it. "I hope you can help me around school for the first few days, because I don't know that much about this school… only the things Daisuke told me this morning…" Sannakii said, seeing Daisuke being mauled by one of his friend's… well… that's what the guy seemed like. Sannakii smiled, and the nodded to Riku as the bell rang.

She cast one last look at Daisuke, and then felt a tug that seemed to lurch out her heart. She heard a faint whisper in her head… _Tonight… will be glorious… _Sannakii rubbed her temples to make sure she wasn't imagining it, and then was pulled by the arm by Riku and rushed into the school. Today... was going to be a very long day.


	2. Chapter 1 Arrival

**Chapter 1**

Riku lead Sannakii into the school, taking a look at her schedule. "Hmm… same as mine and Niwa's. You'll have an easy time; all you have to do is follow me around to get to your classes." Sannakii nodded, as Riku handed back her schedule. Suddenly, another girl ran up to Riku, as Sannakii widened her eyes. Twins… only one had longer, brown hair instead of Riku's short and red-brown own.

"Riku! You have my book! Give it back!" The other girl declared, looking furious. They fought for a while; over this book each was missing. Sannakii then came to the conclusion they were twin sisters, Riku was the oldest, and they had completely different personalities.

"Risa, I don't have it. You lost your own, find it yourself at home." Riku said sternly, as Risa sighed, but then turned to Sannakii. She smiled and bowed. Sannakii nodded her head back, still slightly confused.

"You must be the new student! Risa Harada!" She smiled and waited for Sannakii to speak.

"I'm Sannakii Niwa…" She said warily, just as Riku dragged her off. Risa tagged along behind. Answering basically the same questions Riku had asked before, "I'm living with Daisuke... I think you know him. And I'm his cousin-"

"You're his cousin? Wow! You've got to invite me over sometime!" Risa yelled happily, as Riku rolled her eyes. Suddenly, a teacher pulled Sannakii to the side, as Riku and Risa walked into the classroom. Sannakii was getting aggravated with all of the attention.

"You are the new student Sannakii Niwa?" After a nod reply from Sannakii, the teacher smiled. "Alright, you're at the right classroom. Come with me." Sannakii followed behind the teacher, head down. New people… they were going to judge her. What if they didn't like her? All of these thoughts were in her mind at the same time.

"Good morning students! We have a new student in our class today, please be kind and greet her! This is Sannakii Niwa, she has moved from he country town of Akita." Sannakii bowed to the class, as she looked around. "Sannakii, you can sit at the seat next to Riku." She pointed to an empty seat next to Riku, as the teacher began the lesson, as Sannakii sighed, playing with her pencil. At her old school… they had already learned this and more.

After a few more lessons, the teacher had left the room for a while, which gave the students free time to do whatever they wanted. Some kid immediately got up out of his seat and started talking to Daisuke. Behind them, Sannakii was holding a conversation with Riku, but then, when Riku needed to talk to her sister, she heard something said by Daisuke.

"Takashi, how is it you know everything before it's going to happen?" Daisuke asked the boy in front of him, as Takashi grinned.

"A reporter needs to know everything before it happens, and I mean everything!" He boasted, as Sannakii turned around her chair, and putting her arms on the back of the chair and resting her head on her arms, spoke softly.

"You know what's happening tonight? Daisuke, wasn't that the thing we saw on the newspaper, about a new phantom thief?" Sannakii chimed in, brushing away her light blue hair from her eyes. Daisuke looked startled, as if Sannakii had appeared out of his own shadow.

"Ah, see Daisuke! Even you're little cousin knows about it!" Takashi grinned, before turning to Sannakii. "It's a brand new thief! Probably trying to steal Dark's spotlight, he actually has some competition! But... this new thief shadow hasn't even been heard of before! Let alone be caught on video, like I'm going to get him on!" Takashi laughed, as Sannakii tilted her head to one side.

"How do you know it's a guy? If you've never heard of Shadow before, how can you be so sure Takashi?" Daisuke looked surprised at Sannakii. "I mean, you've never heard of him before, or even SEEN him, so how can you be so sure?" She said, smiling. Takashi looked annoyed.

"Because a reporter can sense this kind of stuff." He said, turning around and crossing his arms. Sannakii giggled, thinking it was funny how she annoyed Takashi. Daisuke continued talking with Takashi, but then, Sannakii noticed a boy looking at her from behind. She turned and looked over her shoulder at him. It was that boy, Satoshi. He was always looking at her and Daisuke… and Sannakii didn't like it.

The final bell rang, as Sannakii got up from her desk and stretched. "Damn… Riku, is all of this stuff new to you?" She asked, as Riku nodded, grabbing her notes. "Wow… I've learned all of this already back in Akita!" She smiled, walking out with Riku.

"Really? Can you help me with some of the notes I missed?" Riku asked, as Sannakii nodded and smiled. Suddenly, Daisuke ran up from behind them, and walked next to Sannakii.

"Sannakii… remember we have cleaning duty in the art room today?" He asked, as Sannakii groaned.

"Already? But it's me first- ah, alright." She sighed, as she waved good-bye to Riku, as she followed Daisuke to the art room, as Daisuke went to grab a card. "Wait Daisuke, I can get this for you!" Sannakii smiled, pressing on the open button, and then pressing in a whir of numbers on the keypad, as the lock unlocked, and Sannakii opened the door. Daisuke had just grabbed out the Art Room card, as Sannakii already flipped on the lights and grabbed a broom.

"Impressive. How do you know how to do that?" Daisuke asked, putting away the card and starting to move boxes around the room. Obviously, Satoshi had the same duty as the two, and was cleaning and listening on the two's conversation quietly.

"Err…" Sannakii looked as if she was thinking about it. "M-My mom used to teach me how to open the locks... we had them at our old school… but they were other rooms that we weren't allowed in." She looked at Satoshi, who had turned around and was looking at her. "I was kind of a sneak at my old school." She smiled, laughing a little, before putting the broom back. "Almost everyone was though, but I was the only one who could open those kinds of locks because my mom had shown me through out my life to open even the most difficult locks!"

"Interesting…." Satoshi mumbled to himself, as Sannakii had already finished her job. She waited for Daisuke, and when he finished, they said good-bye to Satoshi. He then walked to the lock, and using a decoder machine, looked at the time it took Sannakii to unlock it.

"Three and a half seconds… faster then her cousin did it his time." He said, looking at Sannakii walking away with Daisuke. "Well… this will be interesting…" He smiled, putting on his glasses, closing the door and walking off.

After getting close to the house, Sannakii asked Daisuke one question. "Daisuke… last night before you came home, my door was locked from the outside. Would you know why?" She said, as Daisuke shrugged.

"My mom probably didn't want you to see something." He answered, as he looked at the door, opening it slowly. He looked at his watch… it was 4:36 and five seconds. Sannakii pondered why Auntie Niwa wouldn't want her to see something.

She walked ahead into the house, looking down at the floor. "Daisuke…" She said, as he stepped forward and the floor fell beneath him. Sannakii flipped over, grabbing Daisuke's hand as he started to fall. "I warned you…" Sannakii sighed, pulling him up.

"Sannakii, how'd you know it was going to fall?" Daisuke asked, as Sannakii grinned.

"Simple. I looked at the way the tiles were set down! They were glued not as much together as these ones on solid ground. And, the tiles were merely taped to the wall, not like these we're standing on." Sannakii smiled, as she walked forward. She then waited and ran quickly, Daisuke right next to her, as she jumped over a bar shooting forth from the wall. She then ducked and flipped over some, leaping down the stairs, then planting her feet and arms on the opposite walls, she jumped over the landing to the stairs. She waited for Daisuke.

He landed on the landing, as the floor twisted underneath him and turned vertical. Daisuke then put his weight on his hands and then jumped off it. Sannakii grinned, as she looked up. "Watch it…" She said, taking a hairpin form her hair and throwing it into the hall before the living room. Suddenly, a bar shot out and smashed the pin against the wall.

"Walk along the side." Daisuke said, as Sannakii nodded, as they walked along the side. Then, Sannakii's skirt got into one of the detector lasers, as she dashed off, jumping over and under the bars shooting around her. Daisuke followed, and Sannakii, not even bothering to check if the door was safe, ran headlong into it. Her eyes were closed and she flew into the living room, taking the door with her.

"Sannakii!" Aunt Niwa yelled as Sannakii got up from the floor and laughed. "You took down the door! Daisuke, did she fall for any of the traps?" Sannakii turned to Daisuke, as he smiled.

"None of them." He said, as Sannakii, panting, walked upstairs. "Oh yeah! Sannakii, isn't this you're birthday?" He followed her upstairs, as Daisuke's Grandfather and Auntie Niwa were talking excitedly to each other as Sannakii turned the corner.

"Yes, Daisuke." She smiled at him. _Oh… you're so cute… But you like that Risa girl…_ Sannakii thought to herself, as she bid Daisuke good-bye as she closed the door to her room behind her. Min-Min mewed a welcome, as Sannakii pet the cat's small head. "Her Min-Min." She said, but then, she remembered a picture of Daisuke smiling.

Just as she thought of Daisuke, Sannakii fell to the ground on her hands and knees, panting. She felt as if she was on fire, something was burning inside her. She walked to the balcony, and opening the door, looking out to the fading sun.

_**Yes… Yes…The day is finnaly here... **_Sannakii heard a voice from inside her, as she then spoke back. "You're inside me… who are you?" Sannakii asked no one, as she felt her body changing. "You… You're inside of me!" She yelled, as she waited for an answer.

_**I am inside of you… but now… you are me on the outside… Sannakii.** _


	3. Chapter 2 Shadow Arrives

**Chapter 2**

Sannakii gasped for air as if her lungs were ripped from her body. As soon as it started, the pain fell from her body, as she blinked her eyes. Min-Min copied Sannakii by blinking her pale blue eyes, and then mewed softly. She pawed Sannakii, as Sannakii stood up, rubbing her eyes and sighing. She looked at Min-Min and laughed a little. "Well, I wonder what that was all about-"

Sannakii looked at the mirror in her room. What looked back wasn't Sannakii. Not even close to her! What stared back at her was an 18 or 17 year-old-teenager. Her old light blue hair was now longer, to her hips, and the color of a raven. Her once dull eyes were now a deadly lightning yellow, almost hidden behind her bangs. Her clothes had even changed! Her school uniform had turned into another outfit of all black. Her shirt was low-cut, without sleeves and exposed her midriff. The skirt she wore was daringly short, just a few inches from her knees. It was cut up the right side. Her arms had gloves on that reached her elbow, and were cut so her fingers and her thumbs came through. The most amazing new item was a beautiful pure gold necklace. It showed a bird with it's wings looping around her neck, and the two wings connected by a thin golden chain. It looked like something that belonged to an Egyptian God.

Her body was pale, thin, and muscular all at the same time. Sannakii's gaze wavered, as she shrieked and punched the mirror, spider-webbing it so she wouldn't see what had happened. Min-Min hissed at Sannakii's sudden act of aggression, as Sannakii looked at her knuckles. Glass stuck from her skin, and the blood was smeared on it and the mirror.

"Sannakii? Are you alright?" Daisuke ran into the room, seeing the new Sannakii looking at her broken reflection in the shattered mirror. "Sannakii!" He yelled in confusion, wondering if the young woman in front of her was actually Sannakii. Raising her dangerous looking eyes to him, she grinned.

"Daisuke…" She said, in her voice, her kindness. Aunt Niwa and Daisuke's Grandfather ran in a few seconds after she said it. Standing up straight, Sannakii walked into the shadows in her room. Min-Min watched her, as Daisuke's eyes widened.

"S-She disappeared!" He said, as Sannakii looked at her body. She was as dark as the shadow, as if she became one with it. "She can't be like me, can she Mom? Mom! Answer me!" Daisuke yelled at his Mother, who was smiling brightly.

"Sannakii, dear, come out of the shadow. You're fine." Sannakii halfway came out of the shadow, glaring at her.

"What's wrong with me? I want a complete answer now!" She demanded, as Aunt Niwa smiled. "And stop smiling, you're making me think this is a worse situation then it actually is."

"Well, Sannakii, and Daisuke," She said, seeing Daisuke leaving the room. "You both can hear this." She took a picture of Risa out of her pocket and handed it to Daisuke. She quietly said to him. "Just do it."

Daisuke groaned and then looked at the picture. Sannakii's eyes widened as she saw Daisuke transform. She stepped out of the shadow, as the new boy standing before her stretched his arms out. Aunt Niwa turned to the boy.

"Dark, this is only for a little while. Get that." She said, as Dark nodded, opening his eyes after he finished stretching. Sannakii blinked her eyes just once, as Dark smiled.

"Well, well. Isn't it my sister, Shadow. Long time no see." He said, as Sannakii stepped back.

"You're the one who was outside my window last night!" Sannakii accused, out of the blue, as Dark grinned.

"I see you still act like Daisuke's little cousin." He said, as Sannakii was getting enraged.

"That's because I am! Aunt, how come showing me this jerk telling me any answers to anything?" She said, as Aunt Niwa smiled.

"You two are so cute together! Sannakii, you know of Dark. And you just recently heard of Shadow, the new thief coming around, right?" Getting an answering nod, she continued. "Well, Daisuke is Dark, and you are now Shadow. The Niwa family has always carried both Dark and Shadow with their bloodline. Dark is carried in all Niwa males, and…"

"Shadow is carried in Niwa females. I see that, but why me?" She asked, as Aunt Niwa smiled.

"You're the only Niwa female eligible left." She said, and not bothering to see Sannakii's reaction, as continued. "You have to go steal The Silver Crown tonight at midnight." Daisuke replaced Dark as fast as it happened, as Sannakii looked at the brokenmirror and her still bleeding knuckles.

Min-Min stood next to her, mewing softly. She rubbed against Sannakii, as Sannakii picked her up softly, smiling. Daisuke's Grandfather spoke as Min-Min mewed again. "I wonder... would Min-Min be like Wiz?" Daisuke looked at Min-Min.

Sannakii, who was not listening to Grandfather, pet Min-Min's head slowly. The crescent moon scar started to slow softly, as Min-Min turned swiftly into dark gray wings, almost black, with moon-pale tips. The wings connected to Sannakii's back, as she moved them slowly. "Wow. I never knew she could do that." Sannakii laughed, as Aunt Niwa walked up. Sannakii was so much taller; she was as tall as her.

"You have your wings. Go now, and steal us a crown." She said, as Sannakii walked up to her balcony, and stretched out her wings as far they could go. She looked over her shoulder, grinned, and flew off as fast as she could. After being seen against the moon, she dove downwards and flew away until she was nothing more then a speck in the sky.

Watching her leave, Aunt Niwa turned to Daisuke. "Watch her. I feel something horrible could and might happen." Daisuke nodded, grabbing Wiz and running out the door. Aunt Niwa turned back to the sky, and sighed. She was worried for Sannakii. If she was captured, it could mean the end for both her and Dark.

* * *

Sannakii flew on silent wings over to the museum, blinking her eyes from some of the wind. "Well, let's get to work." She flew as fast as she could. She saw the security lights moving about the museum, and reporters everywhere. She on purposely flew into one of the lights, and grinned and flipped her hair over her shoulder while flying.

On the ground, the police were running towards the building like tiny ants. Some were watching above in amazement on what Shadow was, a girl. She laughed. That boy Takashi was going to se so dissapointed. A reporter was yelling into her microphone. "It's here! Phantom Thief Shadow has arrived! And… She's a girl! This beat all what the police had planned for! And like Dark, see seems only 17 years old!"

Sannakii then flew into the shadow of the building, and snuck inside as fast as the reporter found out she disappeared. The police were running around, trying to find her in vain. She was Shadow, and she was one with them. As she rounded a corner, she muffled a giggle. One of the police was secretly eating a banana, and trying to get off his job for a little snack. Sannakii tried hard not to laugh, but didn't watch her footing. She stepped right on the peel and fell flat one her face.

The officer heard the sound, and whipped around and looked for Sannakii, whipping his flashlight around. Trying to get up as fast as she could, she ran to where the Silver Crown was. Police were all around the artifact, and they all had flashlights that they were waving about. Moving swiftly out of one of the beam's range, she knew she had to be crafty about this one. Any light that fell on her would reveal her position. She then held her hands out, as shadows covered the crown. It seemed to disappear right in front of the police. One of them started yelling. "Get to the entrance! Don't let her escape!" All the police followed him, as Sannakii stepped out of the shadows, and ran to the statue, her wings folded closely.

The shadows disappeared around The Silver Crown and came up through her fingertips. She shook her arms when this happened, the shadows felt like pins and needles when they went into her arm. She looked at the Silver Crown, and kneeled down andlooked at the lock. She clicked inthecode and pressed 'Release.' The screen responded by showing the word, 'Release'. Sannakii ginned and stood up.

"There, now any other guards around it are disabled. Now I just have to get this and get out of here-"

"You're quicker then him in two ways, aren't you? You're a crafty one." Sannakii turned, whipping her wings out, trying to make herself appear bigger, more menacing. She then gasped. The one who had spoken was Satoshi!

_What? What the hell is Satoshi doing here?_ She thought, as she folded her wings in slowly. She stood ready for whatever was going to happen. Satoshi walked closer, as Sannakii met his eyes.

"I guess I could use you as bait to get him to back now, now couldn't I?" Satoshi said, as Sannakii's wings turned into shadow and disappeared. She stood, waiting for what was going to happen, her raven hair slightly blocking her vision. She turned around the see if the Silver Crown was still there, and to make sure no police were behind her. That was her one vital mistake.

Satoshi slammed her to the ground, as she tried rolling away with no avail. She saw rings of light around her wrist, seeming to lock her to the ground. Satoshi grinned. "You're about as dumb as him too. This will prove easy for me." He said, as Sannakii struggled.

"No! Let me go!" She yelled, as she felt the necklace start to glow violently. Then, she felt her control over her own body slip away from her. _W-What is this? What's going on?_ Sannakii thought to herself, as the voice from before met her head.

**_Well done, Sannakii. Now, it's Shadow's time to shine._** Sannakii didn't say anymore, as shadows covered her body. Satoshi shielded his eyes from the necklace's glow, as the now resurfaced Shadow grabbed the Silver Crown. "Well, now let's see if you can find me." Shadow taunted, jumping into the shadow, and then ran to a window. She glared at another corner, where she made another shadow shaped like her appear.

Satoshi bought it and tried to grab the shadow, but it slipped through his fingers. Shadow smashed the window's glass, and turned to Satoshi, who was leaning on one elbow on the ground. _"I'll take the Silver Crown. And everything else I decide to steal. Not even you can stop me again."_ She grinned, and gave a mock wave and then dove down from the window. Min-Min appeared as her wings again, as she flew off in the shadow, as she heard Satoshi yell her name.

_**SHADOW! Let me out!**_ Sannakii yelled in Shadow's head, as Shadow shook it, her raven hair flying backwards and snapping about in the wind.

_"Now Sannakii, wait until we get home. Then you might be able to come back out."_ Shadow laughed, as she flew off. She didn't even notice the splash of red hair watching her from below. Daisuke smiled, and flipped open his cell phone, Wiz on his shoulder.

"Mom? She's fine and out. I didn't even have to help with anything." He closed his phone, and ran back to his home. He thought to himself. _Shadow is Dark's sister. I don't think Satoshi will like this at all._


	4. Chapter 3 The Day After

**Chapter 3**

Shadow flew silently over the town, holding the Silver Crown delicately in her right hand. She looked down on the town, and then saw a few people looking up at her wings in awe, but not bothering to yell or run away. Beating her wings hard on a down stroke, she flew forward as fast as she could.

_-Shadow! You stole the crown now let me out! For god's sake, why won't you just let me out! -_ Sannakii yelled from within, as Shadow grinned. _–You have no reason to fly around in the open! What happens if the police start tracking us! –_ Sannakii continued, as Shadow rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I can't believe I have to deal with you and your jabbering! Can you shut up for just a little bit? Just for me?" Shadow said, annoyed, as she dove downwards. She then felt her knuckles and winced. **_-That's right… Sannakii had smashed her hand into a mirror before. -_** She looked at the dried blood, and the shards of glass still embedded in the raw, red skin. Ignoring the small injury, Shadow flew towards a forest, and flew into the trees, but then spotted a teenager, staring up at her with golden eyes. Black hair flew into his eyes by a passing wind, as he watched her slowly. Shadow's eyes met his, and her eyes widened.

_-Shadow! What are you doing? SHADOW! – _Sannakii yelled, as Shadow stared at the boy as she was flying by. He looked only about 19… and was major cute.

"What? Ah shit… Not again…" Shadow muttered, feeling Sannakii come forward and her control over her body disappear. She fell from the sky as Min-Min disappeared, and fell twenty feet. The boy watched Shadow fall into the woods, before turning and walking away, a small hint of red across his cheeks.

From within the woods, someone fell into a pond, because the splash was heard from within. No one surfaced, but then a head with long, pale blue hair broke the surface. Dark gray eyes blinked several times, before glaring at Min-Min sitting on a rock. "You're lucky you stupid cat." Sannakii said, swimming to the shore, shivering softly. She then grabbed the slightly wet Silver Crown, and started to walk towards home. She sneezed before shivering again.

---------

"Ah! Sannakii you did it!" Aunt Niwa hugged her, while Sannakii pulled the blanket closer to her, shivering. Her hair was still dripping wet, her eyeliner dripping down her face, looking like black tears. She glared at the Silver Crown dried on the table, as Min-Min sat on the floor next to her, staring up with worried eyes.

"I'm f-f-freezing…" Sannakii said through chattering teeth, as she looked at Daisuke. He gave her some tea, as she took it in shaking hands, some of the tea slipping onto her hands. She hissed and set it down quickly. She looked at the area of her hands that stung like a bee sting, seeing the tea had crossed over her hurt knuckle. She ignored it and drank the tea quietly.

"Sannakii? Was that there when you were Shadow?" Aunt Niwa asked, looking at her knuckle. Sannakii shrugged, looking up at her aunt with tired eyes. "We better bandage it up then… we don't want anything spreading around, do we?" Aunt Niwa took some ace wrap and started to wrap up her hand. Sannakii flinched. She didn't realize the cuts hurt so badly, some still having tiny little shards of glass in them.

"Sannakii? Does it really hurt that badly?" Daisuke asked, as Sannakii looked at him, then turned away as she felt her face heat. She shook her head, and the seeing that Aunt Niwa was done, stood up, the blanket draped over her shoulders, she stormed upstairs without saying a word.

She rushed into her bathroom, and splashed water on her face, trying to get the eyeliner that had started to run off her pale cheeks. **_-What's wrong now, Sannakii? Can't stand living in a house that every time you see your cousin, you start to change? Ha! You're weaker then I thought! –_** Shadow taunted from the back of her mind, but Sannakii ignored her, and literally dove onto her bed, scaring Min-Min who was sleeping on the pillow beside Sannakii's head.

"I could just die here and now and you'd never get out again… Now just shut up will you?" Sannakii muttered into her pillow, and heard Shadow sigh. Then silence. "Thank you." She said, before closing her eyes and drifting off into sleep.

---------

Min-Min yowled in Sannakii's ear, just as Aunt Niwa stormed into the room, face red, and looking really angry. "You, little missy, better get up right now!" She yelled, ripping the covers from Sannakii's grasp. Sannakii sat up; the eyeliner that had run was still slightly visible.

"That's what you get for making me go out at 12 o'clock last night, Aunt." Sannakii snapped back, trying to dig her face into her pillow again. Before she could, she faced Min-Min's snarling face. "Wow… even you want to get me out of bed… What has this world come to… with people with other halves and cats wanting you to go to school…can someone tell me?"

Sannakii got herself out of her bed, and seeing Aunt Niwa leave, closed the door and quickly got changed into her uniform. She tried washing off the faint lines of black still marking her cheeks in her bathroom, but was not successful. She walked back into her room, and looked at the mirror, still broken. She saw her reflection, broken into a million different pieces. She grabbed her eyeliner, and then stood before the mirror. After putting on another layer of eyeliner, she walked downstairs, almost falling asleep on the way down. She starred at her feet, then at her knuckle, still bandaged.

"Sannakii! Hurry, we're going to be late!" Daisuke yelled at her, making her look up just a little, before she sighed and began walking to get a glass of milk she downed in one sweep. She nodded to Daisuke, her eyes blurry. Blinking them several times, one after another, she finally began to see clearly. She waved to Aunt Niwa, and then walked out the door after Daisuke.

"Sannakii? Can I ask you a question?" Daisuke asked after a moment of silence. Sannakii nodded slowly, blinking her eyes once. "Who changed you back? You know, from Shadow back to Sannakii?" Daisuke asked, as Sannakii looked up to the sky.

"I-I don't know Daisuke. I only remember a black haired, golden-eyed boy staring at Shadow before she fell into the forest…" She looked at him. "Why on Earth do you ask?" She said, smiling softly.

"I was just wondering!" Daisuke said back. He looked over his shoulder, his eyes widened, before he started running ahead. Sannakii sighed, shaking her head, before she looked behind her and saw why he was running. Risa and Riku had advanced on them. Sannakii stopped, and smiled.

"Good Morning Sannakii!" Risa smiled, as Riku came up to the other side of her. Risa looked at Sannakii's hand, before taking it in her hand, making Sannakii lurch it away. "What happened? This looks like it hurts…" Risa said, as Sannakii laughed a little.

"I punched a mirror..." Sannakii answered truthfully, getting an odd stare from Risa. Riku gave her a look that clearly read, 'Don't ask about it.'

The three girls looked at Daisuke who was still running, but then ducked, seemingly almost getting mauled by Takashi. All three of them laughed. Riku then turned to Sannakii.

"You know we have to go to the pool today?" Riku asked, as Sannakii's eyes widened. She placed a hand on her shoulder, as Riku raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong Sannakii?"

"Ha! Nothing, I just spaced out a little. So, we're going to swim today?" Sannakii smiled, as Risa nodded.

"Yep! I think I get to be your partner this time!" Risa grinned, as Riku crossed her arms and sighed. "Riku gets to be stuck with Daisuke again, don't you?" Risa giggled, as Riku sent her a death glare from the other side of Sannakii.

"Yes…" Riku muttered, as the bell rang out, sending all of the three girls into a sprint into the school.

---------

"I can't believe it! Phantom Thief Shadow's a GIRL?" Takashi yelled, angry. He looked at Daisuke, who was smiling a little nervously. Sannakii, once again turning around, grinned back and laughed.

"Told ya so!" Sannakii laughed, as Takashi glared at her. "You can't make up a final decision for something you can't understand, now can you?" She continued, as Takashi crossed his arms and looked out the window. Sannakii smiled, before getting tapped on the shoulder by Riku.

"You think you can swim alright? You're hand looks really bad…" She said, as Sannakii waved it around.

"I'm fine! Come on, we should get ready to swim in the first place, shouldn't we?" Sannakii asked, as Riku nodded as she and her ran out the door. But what Sannakii did not notice was Sataoshi looking at her hand the entire time, before she ran out the door.

---------

"Sannakii! You ready yet?" Risa yelled, pulling her hair into a ponytail. She was waiting for Sannakii, as she stormed over to where Sannakii was changing. "Alright, you're taking way to long." Risa said, as Sannakii peeked her head around the corner. Her long pale blue hair was tied up in a braid.

"Hey! I'm done, alright?" Sannakii said, before turning to look the mirror and fixing her braid the slightest bit. Risa's eye widened, looking at Sannakii's shoulder.

"Hey! You have a tattoo!" She yelled, as Sannakii looked over her shoulder at the large tattoo on her shoulders. It was a picture of feathery wings, dark gray with moon pale tips. They were the same as Shadow's wings.

"My Mom made me get that…" Sannakii said, rubbing the back of her head. "I think it was a few months ago…" She said, before walking towards the pool. "It wasn't bad after you finish getting it done." Sannakii smiled, knowing why her Mother put the wings on her back.

"It's AWSOME!" Risa yelled, excited, just as they both got to the edge of the pool. Sannakii looked over her shoulder, seeing Daisuke. She blushed just the slightest, then looked away. But when she opened her eyes again, next to her teacher was a boy, about 19. With gold eyes. And black hair.

Shadow whistled in the back of her mind. **_–Look who's here Sannakii! –_** Sannakii groaned, as the boy looked over the students. Sannakii could tell Shadow was grinning in the back of her mind. Sannakii groaned and rubbed her temples. With Daisuke in here, and Shadow rambling about how cute the boy was, Sannakii was pretty sure she'd be in the insane office by the end of the class.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: For anyone getting confused, when Sannakii is thinking, she's in regular italics. And when it's Shadow, it's bold and italics. My friends at school were getting confused by that concept, so I wanted to clear it up here! - Sorry it took so long guys! I was busy with camp and stuff, and then band camp is going to be a while after that. -- Then school. SO... please! I do have stuff to do...**


	5. Chapter 4 Swim Day

**Chapter 4**

The teacher smiled, and walked in front of the students, and then looked over the children, checking off her attendance sheet. Sannakii fiddled with her hair, tapped her foot, and then played with her braid again. This was taking too long… although it was actually only a minute. Shadow smiled, and laughed again. Sannakii growled behind clenched teeth, making Risa stare at her oddly.

"Children, we have a helper for this year and this year only. He's going to help teach, and be a spare teacher for when I'm absent. Treat him kindly." The teacher said, as the students nodded quietly. All except Sannakii, who was currently in a fight with Shadow in her mind.

_-Why don't you shut up? Please, I need to pass this class, and with you ranting about that guy in my head doesn't make it any better! -_ Sannakii said loudly, hearing Shadow laugh suddenly. She seemed to be in hysterics, as Sannakii looked up into the boys face. Sannakii turned bright red, causing Shadow to laugh even more. Risa jabbed Sannakii in the arm, causing her to snap out of her argument with Shadow for the moment.

"Who is this? I didn't see her a few days ago when I was observing the class…" He boy said, as Sannakii then glared into his eyes. Before the teacher could even answer, Sannakii had suddenly snapped.

"Sannakii Niwa. And don't you stare at me like that." She said, crossing her arms and flicking her head in an agitated flick. The boy smiled, and then extended his hand. Sannakii stared at the hand, and then looked up at the boy with an expression reading 'I would rather die.'

"Miss Niwa, please." The teacher said, looking strictly at her. Sannakii looked at the teacher out of the corner of her eye, and then reluctantly extended her arm and shook the boys hand. After, he smiled, and then walked off. Sannakii looked as if she was going to die from shaking his hand, as the teacher spoke. "This is Yui Hashano. But he would prefer to be called Yui. Isn't that right?" She asked, smiling at him as he nodded his head. "But, he will start your warm-up swim for today. I need to go copy some new papers for Sannakii." She said, and then turned and then walked out of the poolroom.

Sannakii blinked her dark gray eyes, watching Yui. Shadow was being quiet for the moment, which was making dealing with the fact of this boy being here a lot easier. Daisuke, standing on her right, looked to her almost worriedly. Sannakii didn't meet his gaze, and still kept her arms locked around her chest as Yui began to speak. "Alright. One of you go on the edge of the pool, the rest stand on the starting boards. We will do the Butterfly to the end of the pool and back." A few answering groans made Yui put on a different face. It was furious. "And you all must complete at least one lap. Let's start." He said blowing his whistle.

Risa then stood at the edge of the pool, as Sannakii kneeled on the starting board, ready to dive into the pool. To her right, Daisuke was going to swim, Riku waiting at the edge. Sannakii looked to Daisuke, and then smirked. "Bet you ten bucks I can beat you." She said, as Yui asked if everyone was ready. Daisuke smiled back, a little hint of it was more from Dark then Daisuke.

"Get ready to get beaten." He said, as Shadow immediately said _–That's Dark. He can never turn down a bet. I know. –_ Sannakii rolled her eyes, and then smiled as Yui counted down from five to start. **_–I bet you do Shadow. I bet you do. –_** Sannakii said, just as Yui blew his whistle.

Sannakii thrust herself off the starting board, and dove into the pool with such precision, she barley made a splash, only a ripple. Even Risa and Riku widened their eyes at this style. Daisuke had done the same style, but caused a little more of a splash. Sannakii surged underwater, opening her eyes even though it stung. Her knuckles stung like a bee sting; she had taken off the bandages.

She surfaced almost halfway in the middle of the pool, and taking a big breath, did the butterfly as her mother had taught her. Daisuke was directly in line with her, but Sannakii's form was cleaner, more precise. They were well ahead of the rest of the class, but still in perfect line with each other. Reaching the edge of the pool a few seconds before Daisuke, Sannakii flipped. The entire class was staring at her, as she continued the difficult stroke for girls her age.

_-You're ahead of him! Come on! You can do it just so I can show it off to Dark that I have a better swimmer then he does! – _Shadow cheered, as Sannakii surfaced, taking in a big breath. She swam as hard and fast as she could, placing more and more distance between her and Daisuke. Yui started at her then his watch, with pure amazement. Sannakii seemed to be gaining speed, and then opening her eyes, surface in the middle of the stroke, and then grabbed Risa's hand with such force, Sannakii felt Risa flinch from slapping her hand so hard.

"Nice job, Miss Niwa." Yui said, looking at his watch. "I think this could be a school record." He said, smiling as Sannakii pulled herself out of the pool, glaring at him with her dark gray eyes. Daisuke reached the edge just a few seconds after, as the two cousins sat at the edge and watched the rest of the swimmers just reach either the other end of the pool, or in the middle.

"You're quick." Daisuke acknowledged, his hair dripping with the pool water. Sannakii looked up, and blinked her eyes a few times. She then smiled and splashed her feet in the pool.

"Thanks. My mom and I always were practicing in the pool at my old house. Everyday we could. I almost convinced her it was safe enough in storms, but she worried for my safety." Sannakii explained, seeing the other kids now finishing their swim. She stood up, and stretched her arms out and shook her head, spraying water at the others around her. Then, Riku boarded the starting platform, her sister next to her, as the next swim started. Sannakii sat there, before sighing. She waited for the others to end. It seemed forever when she wasn't in the water.

* * *

"You did an amazing swim today, Sannakii!" Risa exclaimed, smiling brightly. Sannakii let her wet hair down from her braid, a blank expression on her face, as it fell in curls and waves down her back. "I mean, you even beat a boy! That's so impressive for a girl!" She smiled, clapping her hands together, as Sannakii slammed her hand against the wall aggressively. Rise jumped, as Sannakii raised her head, glaring hatefully at Risa.

"You have a problem with that? Girls can beat guys in many things." Sannakii said, in a deep, menacing voice. Risa backed up slowly closing her eyes as if she was going to get hit. Suddenly, Riku burst out into a round of hysteric laughter. Risa opened her eyes just a little, and saw Sannakii smiling brightly, and then laughed herself. Riku was leaning on the wall she was laughing so hard.

"You… Should have seen you face!" Riku said between laughs, as Risa crossed her arms in front of her chest and pouted. Riku continued to laugh, as her and Sannakii gave each other a high-five.

"That was NOT FUNNY SANNAKII!" Risa yelled, as Riku and Sannakii grabbed their school bags, and walked out of the changing room. Risa realized they were leaving, as she gasped and ran to her bag. "Hey! Wait for me!" She said loudly after them, running out the door.

* * *

"Finally catch up Risa?" Sannakii asked, smiling at her. Riku was giggling again, but then Risa nodded her head, panting. The three girls were all standing in the stairwell, they had come out of locker room early enough to have some free time before they had to go home. Sannakii placed her hand on Risa's shoulder, and smiled. "Trust me. If I did the same thing to Riku, you would be laughing now too…" She said, as she began to laugh as she finished her statement. Riku smiled, and nodded.

"She's right, but I wouldn't fall for it in the first place." Riku said proudly, as Sannakii stood up straight, just a tad taller then Riku. She glared down on her, as Riku slunk back just a little. Sannakii's eyes were a picture of hate, or evil, you couldn't tell. Her long light blue hair fell over her shoulders, shrouding her face just a little in shadow.

"Are you sure about that? Or are you…" Sannakii said, as she reached her hand back, across her body, as if she was going to slap Riku in the face with the back of her hand. Risa gasped, and almost lurched forward to grab Sannakii's hand, but then Sannakii smiled, quickly, and then lightly poked Riku in the stomach. Riku yelped, not expecting it, as Risa's widened eyes almost returned to normal. Sannakii then leaned up against the wall, laughing.

"See? You're as vulnerable as your sister is at matters like that!" Sannakii pointed out, brushing her hair behind her ear. Riku straightened up, making a straight face, but a line of red was still across her face. She stuttered, but then managed to blurt out what she was attempting to say.

"I-I wasn't scared!" She said, just as the bell rang. Sannakii stood to the stairwell leading up, and smiled.

"Work on that kid." She said, and then turned, her hair falling behind her gracefully like a fan, and making an exit that would put anyone in awe.

* * *

Sannakii leaned to her desk, picking up books she had forgotten in her desk and placing them in her bag quickly, and hurriedly. You never knew what you could run into after school, and she had this specific person she wanted to avoid-

"Miss Niwa? That is you isn't it?" Sannakii closed her eyes tightly and clenched her knuckles together harshly, and breathed through clenched teeth. She stood up, placing her bag over her shoulder. She shifted her shoulder and glared at Yui. He walked forward, wearing just a black shirt and jeans. He obviously didn't care for shoes. He walked towards Sannakii, who backed up. She felt the breeze coming from the open window behind her, kids laughing almost four stories down, possibly more.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your amazing swim today." Yui explained, walking closer. Sannakii backed up even more, feeling the ledge of the window against her back.

**_- Sannakii… watch out. I don't like the way he's looking at us…but he means no harm to us. I can feel it. -_** Shadow warned, as Sannakii made a 'Tch!' noise from the side of her mouth. _– You're not in danger. I am! –_ She yelled back, as Yui stopped less then a foot in front of her.

"It was amazing. Where did you learn that?" He asked, smiling. Sannakii didn't like being near him, as she let her bag down. She lifted up her foot, and fixed her shoe. She placed her foot back down, and picked up her bag.

"My mother taught me-" She started to explain, but all of a sudden, an older classman girl came in the room, quickly and hurriedly. She accidentally shoved into Yui, and didn't even say a sorry as she ran out the room after grabbing stuff from her desk. Yui then fell forward quickly; it surprised him as well as Sannakii. He reached his arm out to stop his fall, and pushed Sannakii backwards, his hand planting right into her chest.

Sannakii's eyes widened in surprise when all of a sudden, she realized she was staring up at the sky, and then the buildings in front of the school. But they were upside down. She screamed loudly, feeling the edge of the window fall away from her skirt, as everyone looked up. Daisuke recognized it first, and he was at the gate of the school.

He screamed loudly. "SANNAKII!" He said, as Yui attempted to grab her leg but missed. Daisuke then glared up at Yui, his eyes just quickly flashing as a dark purple. Dark was panicking, repeating Shadow's name over and over again.

Sannakii was shocked, too shocked. She didn't believe it. She was going to die. Right here and right now. That Yui would be the cause of her death he meant to hurt her, Sannakii was positive of that. She didn't realize the ground was right below her, and then landed right on her right shoulder and upper back on the ground. A loud crack came from her shoulder that she landed on, as Sannakii's head hit. She stared up at the sky, hearing Daisuke's, Riku's, and Risa's voices near-by. She started at Yui, looking shocked out of the window, before disappearing.

Sannakii's eyes then became a blur, and through the tunnel of vision that was growing smaller, she saw Daisuke's worried face. Her eyes then closed, a single tear falling down her cheek. She couldn't belive it.

_-Mother... Father... Grandmother... I will join you soon...-_ Sannakii thought, before slipping away.


	6. Chapter 5 Tragedy

**Chapter 5**

The wail of an ambulance came from the distance, as Daisuke lifted Sannakii up as cautiously as he could. Risa and Riku looked at her worriedly, as the men from he ambulance came up quickly. "What happened?!?" The exclaimed, as Daisuke placed Sannakii on the stretcher. Her face looked peaceful, except for the now odd looking shoulder and a trace of blood now starting to flow freely through her pale blue hair.

"I don't know exactly… All I know is she fell out of the window up there." He said, pointing to the exact window where she fell. "I think someone might have pushed her but I don't know who…" Dark screamed at him in his head.

_-Someone? SOMEONE?!? Daisuke, this is my own sister here! Your cousin! Do you feel any grief after this? -_ He accused, as Daisuke closed his eyes, and then turned around and walked away as the Ambulance men lifted up the stretcher Sannakii was laid on. He felt the area where she fell, a little trail of blood left. _–And it was that damn Yui! You saw him as well as I! –_ Daisuke nodded, and answered Dark by muttering, so no one could hear him.

"We never know if it was him." Dark was about to argue, but then Daisuke spoke again. "It could have been an accident. Or something out of his control." Daisuke said, as he saw Dark looked away and cross his arms.

Risa and Riku walked all the way to the ambulance, and then watched it drive away, sirens wailing, as Risa started to shudder. "Who… Who could do such a thing!?" Risa yelled, starting to cry. "We all had just met her… she wasn't so different… who was she hated by?" Risa said, as Riku placed an arm around her little sister.

"Come on… we should go home now…" She said, leading her crying sister home. The only thing that came from Riku eyes was that look of pure sadness.

From behind the school gate, Satoshi followed the ambulance with his eyes, and then turned and walked away in silence.

* * *

Daisuke walked home, looking at the ground the entire time. Dark fused in the back of his head. He couldn't stand Dark any longer. If he needed a way of getting his anger out, then Daisuke was going to give him a way. He stepped into his house, and then surrendered to Dark's want to come out. Daisuke spoke to Dark, once the transformation was complete. ­**_–Only for a little while Dark. You need to get your anger out somehow. -_** Daisuke said, as Dark stormed through the house. A mechanical guard dog jumped out and snarled at Dark because he had tripped a hidden wire. Dark glared at the dog, and kicked it out of the way. It hit a wall and then exploded.

_"God damn it… God damn you Yui… You're going to be the death of my sister! I will never forgive you, you son of a bitch!" _Dark growled through clenched teeth, as he saw the door to the living room. It was poorly propped up against the doorframe, after Sannakii had broken it down the day before. Dark grabbed the door and chucked it out of the way, breaking it against a wall. Daisuke's mom looked up, suddenly worried.

"Dark! Where's Daisuke? And… Where's Sannakii?" When Dark didn't reply, she became frantic. "Dark! Answer me! Where's my boy? And my niece? Where?!" She said, as Dark looked up, and then went back into Daisuke, who looked down at the ground. "Dai? Sweetie! Where's Sannakii??" A teardrop fell from his cheek to the floor, as he began to shudder. He looked up only a little, and his eyes were filled with clear, sparkling tears. "Daisuke…" His mother hugged him, as Grandfather came into the room. "What happened Dai? You can tell me…"

"Sannakii… She's… in the hospital…" He said, and then looked up. "I couldn't help her… I should have been with her…" Daisuke said, as Grandfather walked over.

"How Daisuke?" He asked, as he looked at his grandfather. He then closed his eyes, and wiped them with the back of his hand. Daisuke took a deep breath and spoke quickly.

"I don't know. I looked up to hearing someone yell, and I saw her falling out the window. I saw a sub teacher looking out of the window after her, but I don't know if he pushed her out or not…" Dark muttered 'even though he did' in the back of his head but he ignored him. "She's been taken to the city hospital in an ambulance. They think she might have broken her shoulder blade, and a part of her neck." He said quickly, and then looked up and saw his mother tossing a jacket on.

"Come on Daisuke. We need to go." She said, and not waiting for him to reply, pulled him out the door. Grandfather followed closely behind, as the family ran out of the house, as Daisuke looked into his window, seeing Wiz looking down at them. He looked into Sannakii's dark room, and saw two pale blue eyes looking down at him, along with a little cresset moon marking. Min-Min stood up and then bounded away from the window, just the car drove away and screeched into the evening light.

* * *

**Wiz… **A soft, lithe voice spoke through Daisuke's room. The little rabbit looked up from the window, his red eyes looking at the black cat that had just spoke. Min-Min had her head cocked to the side, as she leapt about four feet the window ledge where Wiz was sitting. She sat next to him, facing him. **You hear what happened? **She asked, looking out the window.

**Yes. Very tragic. Can you imagine what Dark and Shadow are thinking right now? **Wiz said, his voice like a little child's, but spoke with a confidence and vocabulary of an old man. Min-Min nodded, and then looked out the window.

**I worry for Sannakii. She is that last one that carries the Shadow trait. Almost exactly like Daisuke, but she literally has no one left to explain anything to her. I would tell her myself, but it's not time. **Wiz looked at Min-Min's worried face and sighed.

**Only time will tell. **Wiz said, as Min-Min stood up and walked swiftly out of the room.

* * *

Daisuke looked outside, at his mom, and then back outside. He shifted in his seat. This was taking far too long. Then, he decided to make some conversation in the car. "Mom. I have a few questions about Shadow."

Daisuke's mom looked at Grandfather, who nodded. She sighed. "What do you want to know Daisuke?"

"Does she have to have her first love to stop changing? Because she..." Daisuke didn't have to finish, because his mother cut in.

"Shadow is a lot more complicated then Dark. She doesn't have to have her first love, so she could have anyone. Shadow likes only one person, and that person only. No matter what happens, her feelings will not change." Daisuke's mom explained, pressing on the gas as a light turned yellow. She passed it, getting a few honks by some other cars, but she ignored them. Daisuke spotted the hospital in the distance.

"But then… How does Shadow go away?" Daisuke asked, as his mother sighed. She pulled into the hospital parking lot, Daisuke didn't realize how much over the speed limit they were going.

"That I cannot answer. Ask Dark yourself. Maybe he has the answer." She said, as the three ran towards the hospital. Daisuke sighed, and then spoke quietly to Dark. He could see him, leaning against a wall, with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He looked… sad.

"Dark. Do you know what the answer to that question was?" Daisuke asked, as Dark looked down at the ground.

-_Yes. Shadow only goes away… when another girl is the born with her genes.-_ He said simply, but then he gasped, and Daisuke stopped. He looked in the way she was looking, as an ambulance was unloading someone off of it. He heard the doctors telling the people to hurry. A wisp of pale blue hair was all it took.

"Sannakii!" Daisuke yelled, and took off towards her. His mother and Grandfather saw him running past them, and then they ran as well. Daisuke ran right towards her, and instinctively felt her hand. As cold as ice. "Oh my god… Sannakii!" Daisuke yelled, as his mother grabbed him and pulled him away from the moving stretcher.

_"SHADOW!" _Daisuke yelled, and noticed it wasn't his voice that came out, or what he was planning to yell in the first place. Dark's voice had come out instead of his own. His mother saw Sannakii's even paler complexion, as she pulled Daisuke more towards her.

"Don't try to contact her. This is a dangerous point for her. Shadow… could come out at any time." She warned, and then went up to the doctor nearest them. "Excuse me…" She spoke softly, barley catching the doctor's attention. "That's our daughter. May we go to wait to see if she's alright…?" She said stronger, as the doctor, looking at Daisuke and his torn look between depression and normal, nodded, and allowed them by.

"Thank you." Daisuke said, and ran quickly, ripping out of his mother's grasp. He ran after the people who had Sannakii. He knew most of his actions were from Dark being worried about his sister, and if Sannakii was gone, Shadow would be gone forever. Daisuke stopped at a corner, and the last thing he saw was Sannakii's pale, expressionless face looking out of a door before it shut.

The door read Emergency Room.


	7. Chapter 6 Forgotten

**Chapter 6**

Yui looked back and forth as he exited from a door in the back of the school. He made sure no one was watching, for he knew police were already looking into why young Sannakii Niwa wound up in the city hospital after falling out a window. They knew only someone who was completely out of their mind would leap out of a window many stories up, or else they had a suicide wish.

Yui knew better then to even show his face near there. So, he ran into the woods in the back. Although he wasn't a suspect, it would be better to avoid any interrogation until he was at home. He moved as fast as he could, before he appeared out in the back roads behind the school. He heard no one around, so he climbed all the way out of the bushes, and turned down another road.

"You're being quite elusive for someone who didn't do anything…" Yui jumped, shocked and startled. He whirled around, and saw Satoshi looking at him with one eyebrow raised. "Oh, but what would I know. I wasn't there now was I?"

Yui then grabbed Satoshi's shirt and lifted him up off the ground. "Look you little punk." He threatened, Satoshi still keeping a cool, emotionless look on his face. "You say anything, I swear I will be the one to snap your neck."

"Why not throw me out a window?" Satoshi said, breaking free of Yui's grip. Yui glared at Satoshi as he walked off, before disappearing around a corner. Yui himself walked off in the other direction.

_-Stupid kid… who does he think he is? I swear to god if he says anything…- _Soon, a car drove up beside him, and the tinted window rolled down. Yui looked at the man looking back at him through the window. It was almost a mirror reflection of himself, except older. The man looked at Yui with golden eyes through tinted glasses.

"Get in. I hear you've gotten yourself in a little trouble." Yui placed himself in the back seat, as the man skidded off. Yui looked out the window, as the man continued talking. "You know, I thought I could trust you with the bracelet… But I guess you're going to have to return it to me."

"Father, I can fix this! Just give me another chance!" Yui pleaded, before looking down on an armband that held tightly onto his upper left arm. It was a deep golden with slashes of black, glowing slightly with malevolent power. He glared up at his father, who had turned off into a long driveway, towards a large, brick house. Guards closed the gates behind them, and they shut with a metallic clang. "Please, leave it to me, Kakeru and Hiame won't be able to handle this!"

"Now you listen here." Yui's dad whirled around and backed his son into a wall. Yui angled his head away from his father, as his father pinned him down. "I have trusted you many times, but it seems you just aren't capable of anything anymore. Many times have you succeeded, but this is more important then anything that I have previously asked of you." Yui's father pulled him inside the house, and into a living room, where two other were sitting on the couch shouting at each other while playing some video game. The girl was the first to turn around, and she threw her controller at the boy next to her.

"Did Yui get into come trouble? Hmm… Hiame think he did!" The girl chirped, teasing. Her red eyes were locked on Yui's golden, her long, curly black hair falling over her shoulders as she leaned down to look up at him. "What did you do, Younger Brother?" Hiame asked, giggling.

"Hiame, Kakeru, get over here." The boy groaned and shut off the video game system, and turned round. He looked exactly the same as Hiame, black hair and red eyes. His slightly long black hair was always in his eyes, and he didn't even bother to brush it away. "Yui, sit." He demanded, as Yui sat down in between his sister and brother.

"Now, Yui, unfortunately, has gotten in more trouble then he can dig himself out of. So, Hiame and Kakeru, I am placing you in charge of the work as of now. Once Yui finds out why he's been in such trouble, only then will he be placed back on the assignment." Hiame jumped up and down, as Kakeru leaned over to Yui.

"I heard you pushed someone out of a window today… Too bad… I guess you are still to young." He grinned, as Yui whipped and shot him the evil look. "Awww... how cute… trying to stand up to your older brother." Kakeru ruffled Yui's hair, as he and Hiame both stood up. Hiame tugged on her brother's shirtsleeve, hopping up and down.

"Kakeru and Hiame get to be 20 now! YES! Let's ditch being 17!" She said, as Kakeru turned to their Father.

"Dad, we need to bracelet now…" He said, rolling his eyes towards Yui. Yui was already getting up, just as his father lifted his hand, aiming it towards Yui's left arm. Yui's eyes widened, knowing well what was coming next. Hiame suffered this already once… he was not ready to suffer it for himself.

"Now, the only was to take this off, if the mission was not completed…" Their father said, as Yui grasped his arm in pain. It stung like a million bees, the skin was burning around the golden metal. "Is to burn it off. This may hurt a little." His dad grinned, as Yui withered from the burning of his arm. The newly charred, black skin spread at least three inches up and down his arm, before the bracelet snapped off into two pieces. There, it morphed back into two separate bracelets.

Yui shrunk, his hair and eyes beginning to also change. They switched, his hair became a bright golden color, and his eyes were black as charcoal. He became the size of a 14-year-old, the same as Sannakii and Daisuke. He glared up at his father, grasping his burnt skin. He stood up and ran out of the room, and not soon after the three still downstairs could hear running water from upstairs.

"Poor, poor Yui-Chan." Hiame said, picking up one of the bracelets. "He was just too young, wasn't he Daddy?" She smiled, as their father nodded. "Well, I guess Hiame and Kakeru need to pick this up where he left off now, don't we?" She smiled, as Kakeru nodded.

"You two." Their father grasped their shoulders just as Hiame was about to put the bracelet on. She pouted slightly, but then he whispered to them. "If you tell anyone, and I mean ANYONE that Yui was the cause of Sannakii Niwa's fall-"

"We'll be in some deep shit. Yeah, we know." Kakeru said, as Hiame nodded, as she ran upstairs, dragging her brother along with her. Their father then walked into his room, as he closed the door behind him. He sat down in a chair, just as a computer flicked on in front of him. He clicked to go onto a videoconference, just as Mr. Hiwatari came on the screen.

"Hello Shinori." Mr. Hiwatari greeted Yui's father.

---

Daisuke paced back and forth, back and forth inside the waiting room. He looked up at the clock for the fifteenth time in one minute. Time was his enemy now; it just seemed to take pleasure in dragging on longer and longer. Emiko watched her son in distress, as he began to pace again. Emiko grabbed Daisuke's wrist, but got a glare from Dark's eyes. "Sweetie, sit down. We've only been in here for five minutes." She said, as Daisuke sighed and shook his head.

"I can't stand it Mom! Dark's being so restless, I can't sit down! If I try to, he forces me to stand back up!" Daisuke complained. Emiko looked to Grandfather, who nodded. She let go of her son's wrist, as he sat down, hesitantly, but soon he was sitting in a chair.

_-I'm sorry Dark, but I can't take the fact that you keep me up. I'm tired, and I know so are you. –_ Daisuke confronted Dark, who glared back at him. _–Dark, look. Worrying will get us nowhere. We just have to wait. – _There was a long moment of silence, before Dark sighed and answered him.

­_-Alright. –_ He said, as Daisuke smiled. Daisuke sat there, staring at his feet. He looked at the clock again. Another ten minutes had gone by. It was 6:45. Daisuke sighed.

_-Dark? I still have another question about Shadow…-_ Daisuke said Shadow's name warily, not knowing what Dark's reaction would be. Dark sat next to him, looking at the ground.

_-What is it? –_ Dark answered, as Daisuke looked down at his partner. This was so unlike him…

_-Shadow cannot change whom she loves… right? In no circumstances can this happen? -_ Daisuke asked, as Dark nodded, but only slightly.

_-Well, that is only partly true. Sometimes, I don't understand my sister as well as I should. – _Dark began at explain. _–You see, Shadow is another half person, quite like Krad and me. However, I have never seen this other half of hers, and she is rumored to not even exist. In some ways, you could say that Shadow is exactly alike to me. But this is not true, but only in the ways of love. –_ Dark said, as Daisuke looked confused.

_-How so? –_ Daisuke asked, as Dark stood up, finally, looking up towards the ceiling.

_-You see, you have you're 'Sacred Maidens.' Sannakii on the other hand, has nothing of the sort. If she likes someone, then that person can change her into Shadow. However, if that like turns to someone else, then that new person will cause her change. Shadow however, usually likes only one person. But sometimes, that one person is forgotten or never seen again. That's when Shadow moves on, but not after a long heartbreak. Shadow chooses not to like anyone most of the time. A spitting image of a loner, if you ask me. –_ Dark laughed slightly at the last sentence, as Daisuke nodded.

Daisuke looked at the clock again. 7:25. He sighed and leaned his head against the wall, listening to the music station in the background, and trying his hardest to keep himself firmly planted in his chair.

---

"Dai? Wake up." Emiko shook her son, who shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He gasped, remembering why he was in the hospital. He looked at the time. 12:00. Midnight.

"Sannakii? Is she…?" Daisuke stood up, as the Nurse next to him placed a small hand on his shoulder.

"Miss Niwa is alright. Please, come with me." The nurse walked down the hall, as Daisuke ran quickly after. Emiko then grabbed him and pulled him back, away from the Nurse who was looking at Daisuke quizzically.

"Let us go in first." Emiko whispered to Daisuke. Before he could protest, Emiko explained quietly. "Look, we don't know who she'll react to, or if she'll change or not if you're around." Daisuke nodded, just as Emiko stepped inside a room. She nodded to the nurse, who walked off. Daisuke could hear the soft beeping of a heart monitor, as Emiko and Grandfather walked into the room. They nodded for Daisuke to come in.

"Sannakii! Sannakii, are you all right? Sannakii? Can you hear me?" Daisuke yelled, rushing over to the side of her bed. Her left eye, which was closed, twitched slightly.

"Daisuke… I'm fine. But I won't be able to hear you because if you keep yelling in my ear, I'm going to be deaf." Sannakii retorted, with just a bit of sting in her voice. Daisuke sighed a breath of relief, if Sannakii could be that sarcastic and make a remark like that; he knew she had to be all right.

"How are you feeling?" Emiko asked, as Daisuke returned to his mother's side. Sannakii opened her eyes and looked over the three, before pulling herself into a sitting position in her bed. Her right shoulder was up in bandages and a sling; Daisuke could clearly see stitches on the back of Sannakii's neck. Her entire right side of her face and neck was purple and bruised.

"I have seen better. I can't stand the fact that that my shoulder blade and parts of my arm are broken." She said, looking to Emiko. Daisuke was shaking slightly, Dark wanted to come out so badly. Sannakii smiled, and laughed just slightly. "But I have a little bit of a problem…"

"Yes Sannakii? What is it?" Emiko asked, as Sannakii looked out the window.

"Does anyone know how I got here? All I know… is that I'm here. Who did this? What happened?" She said, as Dark suddenly appeared from Daisuke.

­"_HOW DO YOU NOT REMEMBER?!" _Dark yelled running to the side of Sannakii, as Emiko shushed him quickly. Sannakii looked over slowly, eyes widened, and her heart monitor skyrocketed, becoming faster then it was. She backed up as fast as she could, into the wall, banging her head. She cringed from the hit, in pain, but still tried to back away from Dark. Her eyes reflected fear in the truest form.

"Who are you? Aunt Niwa, who is he? Where'd Daisuke go?" She asked, just as the heart monitor went down, and Shadow appeared. She looked just as bad as Sannakii, but without the broken arm and shoulder blade. She opened her eyes and looked down at the floor, as Emiko gasped. Shadow looked up as Dark placed a hand on her shoulder.

_"Shadow? Are you alright?"_ Dark asked his little sister, as she nodded solemnly. _"Shadow, why can she not remember me?"_ He asked, as Shadow sighed.

_**"Dark… she has no recollection of you what-so-ever. And she can only remember that Daisuke is her cousin, and nothing more. She doesn't trust you or Daisuke… anymore."**_


	8. Chapter 7 Absence

Dark backed up, looking appalled. Shadow sighed. _**"I'm sorry Dark. It's not my choice. She knows I'm here, she's a thief, and she's staying at your house. Anything about you and Daisuke had disappeared forever."**_

Daisuke came back, seeming tired from the amount of transformations he had done in the past day. "So… nothing? She can't remember me being Dark?" Shadow nodded. A sudden tap at the window made everyone besides Shadow jump. It tapped with window again.

_**"It's Min-Min."**_ Everyone looked at Shadow with one eyebrow raised, as Daisuke opened the window. The cat mewed happily at seeing Shadow all right, and jumped up. She rested on her chest, purring loudly as Shadow pet her softly. Emiko placed a hand on her hip, as Shadow grinned. _**"What? She flew here, and Sannakii wanted some company besides the smelly people who work at the hospital."**_ Shadow laughed, as Emiko picked the cat up. Min-Min hissed loudly, as she scratched Emiko.

"No Min-Min." She scolded the cat, which struggled more. "Shadow, I can't allow Min-Min to stay here…" Right when she mentioned Min-Min, Sannakii reappeared, a bright smile on her face.

"My kitty!" She said, reaching for Min-Min with her good arm. She took her from Emiko, and pet her. "You brought her here for me?" She asked, as Daisuke laughed slightly. Sannakii glared at him. "I could let Min-Min stay with you. You'd have to take care of her… feed her, wash her, clean up aft-"

"Keep her here." Daisuke said quickly. Sannakii giggled, as a nurse knocked on the door. The all looked, as the Nurse bowed. "Yes?" Daisuke asked.

"Well, Sannakii will need her sleep. So, I'm sorry, but I must ask you to leave." She looked at Min-Min, who glared and hissed at her. "The cat has to go too." Emiko nodded, and lead Daisuke to the door. Right when she passed Sannakii, she picked up Min-Min. She mewed loudly, as the nurse closed the door behind them.

"Yeah, hello?" Sannakii yelled at the nurse, who was messing around with some of the IV tubes and such. She looked down. "You said I need sleep right?" The nurse nodded. "Then get out! I can't sleep when someone is inside my room!" She yelled, shoving her away with her good arm.

"I-I'm sorry Miss Niwa. But we need to make sure you'll be able to complete your recovery without a hitch." The nurse apologized quickly. Sannakii continued glaring at her. "But… here." She handed Sannakii water, as she drank it quickly. Immediately, her eyes drooped, as she fell asleep silently. After checking her monitor one last time, the nurse walked out of her room, only to run into someone outside of the door.

"Oh, am I not allowed inside?" A woman asked, looking down at the nurse, who was only shorter then her because of the ridiculous heels she had on. Curly black hair was placed inside a long ponytail, red eyes glinting with a ridiculous amount of make-up.

"No, the visiting hours are over. And you need to be in the family to visit her." The nurse explained, locking the door behind her. "Who are you anyway?"

"Oh, I was one of her teachers from the school. I just wanted to see how she was doing. One of my best pupils. " The nurse looked at her suspiciously, as the woman extended her hand. "My name is Hiame." She smiled sweetly, as the nurse shook hands with her.

"Well, we would have to verify that you are a teacher or not, so, if you'll excuse me, I need to ask you to leave." Hiame nodded, and walked away from Sannakii's room. She walked out of the hospital into the windy night. Her hair blew around in unexplainable directions. Her pocket buzzed loudly, then stopped. Before it could buzz again, she reached in, and snapped open a phone.

"Yes Kakeru?" She paused, listening to him. The bracelet that was once set on Yui's arm now glittered on her wrist. It still glowed malevolently. "No, Hiame can't get in, because she's not in her family…. Look Hiame tried the teacher approach and was stopped dead." She yelled, walking down the road. "Hey, we'll try once she's out of the hospital." She paused, and sighed. "Fine Kakeru. It's your turn."

Snapping closed the phone; she looked down the road, a distant sound of thunder rolling off the horizon. A rain dropped down her cheek, as she walked down the road. She turned a corner, and disappeared.

A kid jumped out of a tree, golden eyes watching what Hiame was doing closely. Yui looked up to the Hospital, into a dimly lit room. Sannakii's room. _–Sorry Hiame… I just can't let you finish this mission…-_ He thought to himself, before running down the opposite direction of the street.

-------

The rain tapped on the car window loudly, lighting flashing in front of the Harada's car. Risa squeaked a little, as Riku rolled her eyes. What a day. For a solemn day, one of her newest friends is gone. Well, in the hospital, but she wished to not think of what was going on there. The car rolled down the street, as Risa yelled for the driver to stop.

"Risa! What are you-" Riku was just about to scold her sister, but then she saw that Daisuke was walking outside, no umbrella all alone. Just a day before he would be talking with his cousin. "We'll walk from here." Riku informed the driver, who nodded.

"Daisuke!" He looked up slowly; as he saw the two girls climb into the rain, underneath an umbrella. Risa held the umbrella over his head. "You're soaking wet! Come on, we're close to the school."

"Oh… thank you Risa." He said, looking up at the umbrella. Rika walked on the other side of Risa, and couldn't stand the question that was bubbling up in her throat.

"Did… er… How is Sannakii? What happened to her?" She blurted out suddenly.

"She's fine. Broke her collarbone and arm. She's had to get a few stitched on her neck, but we saw her last night." He yawned loudly, before apologizing. He was awake the whole night, sitting out in her balcony. He remembered accidentally bumping into that woman walking out. She just seemed weird, how she glared at him, her bracelet, and how she has headed right to Sannakii's room. He and Dark spent the whole night delegating who she was, and what she was doing.

"Oh, that's good…" Riku said, just as they heard a bell. The three stopped, and obviously Riku's brain was working slightly faster then everyone else's. "Ah! We're gunna be late!" She yelled, running away from the safety of the umbrella, and towards the school.

"Riku! Be careful! The steps could be slippery!" Risa yelled, running after her. Daisuke realized the rain was falling on his head again, and until the bell tolled yet again, he realized what was going on. He ran as fast as he could, diving up towards the school doors and upstairs to his classroom.

"I'm sorry Daisuke! I left you behind when I went after Riku!" Risa apologized, as Daisuke smiled.

"No, it's alright." He said, just as the teacher walked into the room. Daisuke looked around, the room seemed empty without Sannakii delegating with Takashi, who seemed annoyed at her absence. No one to prove wrong, it seemed. Well, he could prove anyone wrong, but Sannakii was the only one who would put up a good argument about it.

The one person who seemed to be the most alert on Daisuke's reaction to this entire situation was Satoshi, always watching, alert and everything. He noticed Daisuke looking over at him, as he looked away, but then looked up with one eyebrow raised.

A young man walked into the room, smiling at the students. They all watched him closely; a substitute was not what they had in mind for a teacher today. His black hair was messy and untidy; clearly he did not take his job seriously. His red eyes looked over the class, before he put his bag down on the floor. Taking out an attendance sheet, he wrote his name on the wall.

"Good morning students. I am Mr. Shinori." He smiled. "Your teacher is absent today, so I will be your substitute."

_-Daisuke. Look at his wrist. Remind you of someone? -_ Dark inquired, as Daisuke's eyes shot to his wrist. Another glowing, golden bracelet was on his wrist. _–It's the same as the woman's. And to make things even more interesting… They look almost the same. –_ Dark grinned, as Daisuke sighed.

_-Could they be the same person? –_ Daisuke asked, as Dark rolled his eyes.

_-Don't know. But I've seen so many outrageous things in my life. So I wouldn't doubt it. -_


	9. Chapter 8 Escape

Daisuke watched the substitute, making sure he didn't do anything… odd that might hint that he was the girl that he had bumped into at the Hospital last night. They looked so alike, the same black, shiny hair. The deep, liquid red eyes. The oddly glowing bracelet.

The lust for power that was hidden behind the smile.

"Hey now!" Takashi, who took this whole situation as suspicious, stood up straight in his chair. Mr. Shinori looked at his with one eyebrow raised. "Our teacher told us that she was going to be here tomorrow to hand out our tests. What happened to her?" After getting glares from some of the other students, he laughed, and continued. "Just, for curiosity, of course."

"Your teacher came down with a cold. She needed to take a day off anyway." Mr. Shinori grinned, before looking to the class. "Anyone else want to interrupt the class and make a fool of themselves?" He asked, causing Takashi's face to go red. Kids tried to stifle laughs but failed, before Mr. Shinori grinned again. "Good."

---

Daisuke collected his stuff quickly; the class was oddly quiet after the lesson. It seemed as if no one was going to speak. Everyone just took notes. One kid who had raised his hand to ask a question, seemed stricken by something, and immediately put his hand down. It was as if the substitute had a control over the class after Takashi's outburst.

_-Dark. Did you…- _Daisuke was about to ask, before he looked at Mr. Shinori. He was looking right at him, before he turned his attention somewhere else. Daisuke followed his gaze right to Satoshi, who was glaring at him with a great intensity.

­­_-I felt something Daisuke. I'm not going to ignore that. –_ Dark said, reading his mind. _–However… it was something different. –_ Dark admitted, as Daisuke stood and left the room, ignoring the other kids and their slowness in packing and leaving.

_-Wait… different? –_ Daisuke asked, walking swiftly down the hallways. The hospital had told his family that visiting was three hours, staring at around 1p.m. It was 2 p.m. already, so he was already in a rush. _–Explain please. –_

_-I don't know what it was. Like, it was like the two were connected, but… completely different. – _Dark mussed over his lack of knowing, before he spoke again. _–This is a ridiculous assumption, but it felt more like Sannakii was in them somehow. They had the same presence as she has, like, they know they're there, they know you're watching her, but she doesn't care, and someone how loves to… prove others wrong. – _Daisuke quickly flashed back to the first day of school, everyone starred at Sannakii as she walked in.

Then when she openly objected Takashi's idea of Shadow. He could see the attitude similarities, but… it was odd to think of it that way.

­_-Well, Dark, we have no grip holds on this situation. We're going to have to go ask Sannakii about it ourselves. _– Daisuke sighed, walked straight out of the doors of the school, ignoring the, 'Bye Daisuke!''s or the 'see you later''s coming from all around him. No one kind of seemed to even really notice his depressed state. Maybe that was because of the fact he was daydreaming all of the time and right now it didn't seem that different.

Risa looked at Daisuke from behind, sighing slightly to herself. Riku looked over to her sister, and then shook her head to herself. "I don't suggest it Risa." She said out loud, before covering her mouth. Risa stopped short and then crossed her arms.

"Suggest _what_ Riku? Hmm?" She inquired, tilting her head to the side slightly. Riku remained silent, still covering her mouth before Risa repeated herself, "What is it Riku?"

"I don't think talking to Daisuke would be a good idea right now. He's kinda depressed… if you haven't noticed." Riku shuffled her feet, looking down at the ground nervously. Risa's face lightened, but not before Riku ran off, down the stairs and away from her sister. She took her bike quickly away from the rack, and mounted it, ready to ride away.

"Riku! Are you going to practice?" One of her friends yelled from behind her, but Riku shook her head, replying, "Sorry no, I don't feel too good today. Tell coach that for me, 'kay?" Without waiting for an explanation, she wheeled off, but not in the direction of her house.

---

Sannakii sat starring at the television in her room, just as a nurse came in and took and look at her IV fluid levels and then wrote it down on a clipboard. Sannakii ignored her for a few seconds, but then she turned to her.

"Excuse me? Can I make a phone call to someone?" Sannakii more or so demanded it within her tone of voice, and the lady looked at her a little quizzically, before nodding and handing Sannakii a phone. Before she even started dialing, she looked at the nurse, and then raised an eyebrow. "A little privacy please?" Sannakii's voice again had an edge to it, as the nurse nodded and walked outside the door, shutting it quietly behind her.

Sannakii's small, nimble fingers flew over the dial keys, before the held the receiver up to her good ear. She waited a few seconds, before Emiko picked up the phone.

"Hello? This is the Niwa Household…" Emiko's voice was normal, perky and happy.

"Auntie? I need to get out of here. Now. Come pick me up. Please." Sannakii pleaded, before Emiko completely denied her request.

"No Sannakii. You know what the doctors said. You can't leave until your blood levels are back to normal and they finally conclude it." Emiko stood firm, and did not bend to Sannakii's pleading and unnatural reasoning's.

"But _please _Auntie. It smells here and it constantly giving me a headache, and I really just hate people asking me how I am every second of every minute of every hour-"

"Sannakii shut you mouth and quit your complaining. You are staying there." Emiko's voice was firm, and no amount of complaining was going to change her decision.

Sannakii sighed. "Alright auntie. Fine. I'll stay here." Sannakii hung up the phone, before the nurse came back in and took it from her. Sannakii sat there, looking at the TV again fro a few minutes, before she leaned her bed up, so she could reach over and open the window. She then whistled, the sound carrying not for far into the clear day.

"Miss Niwa?" Another nurse came in, interrupting Sannakii. "You have a visitor."

"Who is it?" Sannakii asked, just as Riku walked into the room, looking winded from her bike ride over here. Sannakii smiled brightly. "Riku! You came to visit me?" Sannakii hugged her as best as she could when she came over but then quickly returned to lie down because the nurse coughed loudly, reminding her that she was not supposed to do that. "Hey… where's Risa?"

"I came by myself, straight from school." Riku shrugged, before she shook her head and focused back on Sannakii. "So, how are you doing?" Riku smiled, knowing this question was thrown at Sannakii about twenty times per hour every day while she was in here.

"I'm actually doing pretty well. I feel as if I could get up and leave any second!" Sannakii grinned, causing Riku to laugh. Sannakii lurched her shoulder slightly, but then winced and rubbed her shoulder. She laughed nervously, and Riku looked at Sannakii with one eyebrow raised, before she spoke again.

"Yeah, we had a substitute today. Freakiest person who ever walked into the room. I mean, you should have seen the look an Takashi's face when the teacher shot him down right in front of everyone!" Riku explained, as Sannakii laughed.

"If you remember, I shot Takashi down on my first day in school." Sannakii grinned deviously. Riku laughed and nodded her head, smiling. She felt so much better, seeing that although Sannakii was in a hospital, she was happy and well… and alive. The nurse suddenly walked in on their conversation, and coughed slightly to get their attention.

"Miss Harada, you need to go now. There is a time limit on meetings, and Miss Niwa needs to take her medications." The nurse explained quite professionally, as Riku nodded quickly and turned to Sannakii.

"I hope to see you again in school soon. Feel better as soon as possible, it's getting boring in school anyway."

"I sure will. I miss being with you guys." Sannakii smiled, then waved to Riku as she left the room. When Riku turned the corner and disappeared, Sannakii sighed, leaning her head back onto her pillow and closing her eyes. The nurse walked over, fixing Sannakii's IV and replacing the bag of blood that was stabilizing Sannakii's system. The nurse then walked over to Sannakii, placing a glass of water and several pain killer pills and others in front of her.

Sannakii sighed sadly, and popped them all in one by one, taking water after each one. She finished, handing the nurse the cup back, and felt her eyes droop slowly, but she soon shut them completely, struggling to stay awake.

Daisuke walked to the door, but then the nurse shook her head. "I'm really sorry Daisuke. She just took her medication, and will be asleep soon. You just missed the-"

"Who is it?" Sannakii mumbled slightly, looking at the door. Her eyes were fighting with her will to stay awake, but then she saw Daisuke. She smiled, her head drooping a little. "Dai…suke…" She said, her voice then faded out and she fell asleep, her breath coming slowly and steadily.

"She's alright, right?" Daisuke asked the nurse, who nodded slightly. "Good. I'm going to get here earlier tomorrow, so I can see her." Daisuke told himself, as Dark kind of laughed.

­_-Run a little faster from school. Then maybe you can get here on time. -_

­_-Dark, you know you're as happy as I am to know she's alright. That mean's Shadow's alright too you know._­ - Daisuke retorted, smiling to himself. Dark smiled slowly, then nodded.

Shadow came to Sannakii, the two standing towards each other, knowing the plan they were going to take. Shadow whistled in an odd tune, then turned to Sannakii, who nodded.

­_**-Alright, are you sure about this? -**_ Sannakii nodded again. Shadow smiled slightly, and then nodded herself. _**–All right… time to get out of this place. -**_


	10. Chapter 9 Thunderstorms

**Chapter 9**

The rain called out to Sannakii, lightly tapping on her windowpane. She was sitting up in her hospital bed; her light-blue hair had been tied back into a messy braid and her eyes were tired. She knew she should see the sun setting on the horizon, but she only saw dark clouds, threatening to open up and destroy the gentle drizzle outside. It had been another full day from when Riku came to visit her. She could only vaguely remember Daisuke visiting her. But after that, nothing. Her nights have been riddled with nightmares, keeping her awake into the late hours of the night.

_**-Sannakii, are you all right? –**_Shadow's sudden question made Sannakii jump. The IV jogged in her arm, and she hissed and held her broken shoulder. Sannakii closed her eyes, seeing Shadow look at her from the inside. She said nothing to her other-half. _**–I'm worried about you. You didn't sleep well last night; even with the drugs they gave you. And you didn't eat today. What's on your mind? – **_Shadow was actually concerned, and it shone in her electric yellow eyes.

_-I'm fine… I just need to get out of this place Shadow. I can't stand anything in here. These nightmares will go away once I'm away from this hospital. All I think about when I'm in or near a hospital is…Mom… Dad… Grandma… - _Sannakii shuddered a little, remembering their expressions… Peaceful. Even in their faces that were riddled with cuts, bruises… Her father's face was almost unrecognizable. But she saw the peace in every single one of them. _–We're getting out of here tonight Shadow. –_

_**-Sannakii, I do not think that is such a good idea… - **_Shadow started to interject, but Sannakii glared at her. Shadow was so taken aback by the look in Sannakii's eyes. She couldn't tell if it was hurt, hate, or just nothing-ness. Shadow scratched the back of her head, then shook out her hair and sighed. _**­–Fine. I'll get you out of here. –**_

---

Daisuke flipped through the channels on the TV in his room, lying on his bed with his feet off the edge. Wiz was sitting on his head, and Min-Min had found a comfortable spot to lie down on his windowsill. She stared out the window; tail swishing back and forth in a slow, repeating rhythm. The cat seemed to sigh, as Daisuke looked at her. "What's up with you Min-Min? You're so depressed. Sannakii and Shadow are fine. Don't be so down…"

_­-Listen to yourself. You're talking to a cat Daisuke. You sure you're not the one who's crazy? – _Dark teased, as Daisuke rolled his eyes. He ignored Dark, only acknowledging him being there for a second. He didn't want to think about other half's right now. Not him or Shadow. So much differences from Dark and Shadow, yet they almost seem like the same person.

Suddenly, Min-Min's ears picked up, as she stood up and stretched out her legs. She shook her head and looked at Daisuke, her pale blue eyes locked with his own. She mewed softly, and scratched at the windowpane. Daisuke looked away, wondering why a cat would ever want to go out in the rain. Min-Min sighed and jumped from the window right onto Daisuke's bed, and rubbed her side his face, meowing again. Daisuke looked at the cat, which looked at the window again. Daisuke stood up and stretched his arms out and opened up the window for the cat.

"Is this what you wanted?" He asked, as Min-Min jumped out the window and suddenly turned into Shadow's wings and flew off towards the Hospital. Daisuke did not realize this, and went back to his bed after shutting the window. Dark started to laugh in his head, as Daisuke closed his eyes and saw Dark trying to stifle his laugh by covering his mouth with his hand. _–What's so funny Dark? – _Daisuke asked, crossing his arms.

_­-That cat just went off in the direction of the Hospital Daisuke. You couldn't hear it, but just ask Wiz. Shadow just called for her. – _Daisuke looked shocked over at Wiz, who nodded his head. Obviously the two thief's calls for their wings were at such a pitch where normal people could not hear them.

­_-You've got to be kidding me Dark. What on Earth is she thinking! She can't leave yet, who says she's well enough? – _Daisuke stood up, ready to chase after the cat, as Dark shrugged.

­_­-Sannakii says she's well enough. That means Shadow is going to follow her lead. We better go and get her. Leave your mother out of this… It won't get any better if we get her involved. – _Daisuke nodded, and jumped down from the window, landing quietly in his back yard. He caught Wiz, who jumped after him, as they ran off in the direction to the Hospital, thunder rolling loudly in the distance.

---

The light drizzle had turned into a steady beating on the window of Sannakii's hospital room. She was lying back in her bed, waiting for her nurse to leave her room. Sannakii had "taken" her medication, but instead had spit every pill back out into her hand once she turned away from the nurse and rolled over in her bed. The nurse walked to the door and shut off the lights, before exiting and closing the door quietly behind her. Sannakii waited a minute, then sat back up in bed. She shook slightly because her room was colder then it usually was. She looked at the IV and the supply of blood that was stabilizing her system. She's heard it many times before: head wounds can cause someone to lose a lot of blood. Guess she must have lost a hell of a lot. Sannakii let go of herself, as Shadow appeared in her place. Shadow only slightly had a yellow bruise down her neck and across her shoulder, but nothing was broken like it was for Sannakii. However, it still hurt slightly to move the shoulder that was supposed to be broken.

_­-Come on Shadow. We might not have a lot of time. Let's get out of here. – _Sannakii urged her to move. Shadow nodded and took the IV out of her arm, wincing only slightly. She then opened the window and removed the screen. She whistled out into the night, through the rain. A flash of lightning in the distance lit up the sky, and Shadow could see her wings coming to her. She turned and had Min-Min attach to her back. She placed the screen back in place and closed the window, before turning off and flying upwards. The wind was so strong, and it was hard to find any place where the air currents would carry her without using much effort. Sannakii was weak, and just being Shadow was making her even weaker…

Suddenly, lightning flashed, blinding Shadow. She had to blink her eyes, and she had to dive away from a building she was about to fly into. A crosswind blew her sideways, where she ran into a telephone pole. She straightened herself out, and shook her head. She was getting clumsy, and just when every second counted. Thunder clapped loudly, seeming right on top of her. The wind grew stronger and made it harder and harder to fly. Shadow could feel her grip slipping away, as Sannakii's eyes started to close, her breathing becoming ragged and uneven.

_-Sannakii! –_ Shadow yelled, causing Sannakii's eyes to snap back open, but they immediately started to droop again. ­_–Come on Sannakii! Stay awake! I can't keep a grip if you're going to let go! Stay strong… Stay awake dammit! –_ Shadow cursed as Sannakii attempted to stay awake, keeping her tired eyes open. However, Sannakii started to cough again, and winced. Shadow knew the inevitable was happening. Sannakii couldn't keep a hold.

Shadow's grip fell away just as Sannakii fainted. Min-Min turned into a regular cat, as the two fell back down into a forest. Shadow braced herself against the tree branches she fell into, and grabbed some to slow down her fall. It helped, and she was able to land on the balls of her feet and reduce a lot of damage. Her cheek started to bleed, and her arms stung. Shadow tried to stand up, but fell to her knees. She looked up at the sky, just as lightning flashed brightly. Her world became blurry and she fell face first even before the thunder came.

Min-Min jumped out of a tree, and landed next to Shadow's motionless body. She pawed her arm, and meowed loudly. Shadow suddenly turned back into Sannakii, whose eyes stared out, almost lifeless. But there was still some life there. But not much time. Min-Min ran out of the forest, and sprinted down streets, looking for someone. Anyone. She spotted someone, covered in a raincoat. She jumped on him, and bit at the hood of his raincoat.

"What on Earth-" The boy cursed as Min-Min pulled his hood down. Blonde hair immediately started to mat the boy's face, as his slightly enraged black eyes fell on Min-Min, who meowed and pulled on his boot. She ran forward, then turned around and looked right at Yui. Her eye's pleaded for him to follow. He did, as Min-Min turned off into the forest. Her ducked underneath the branches and came right to where Min-Min had lead him. He looked at Sannakii, and shook his rain jacket off his shoulders. He wrapped it around Sannakii and picked her up, Min-Min following his footsteps. Yui smiled to himself. "What chances. I decide to follow Hiame and look whom I find. A little Hospital run-away and her pet." He looked at Min-Min, who was just trying to stay as close to Sannakii as possible.

_"Put her down."_ An enraged voice growled from behind Yui. He did not stiffen up, did not turn to see who spoke to him. He knew quite well who was behind him. _"Did you not hear me you leech? I said, put her down."_ Dark growled.

"Right here? On the wet ground? Now I don't believe that would be the best idea…" Yui started to walk back to the hospital, but not before Dark grabbed his shoulder and yanked him around. He faced Dark's enraged purple eyes, but did not waver from his own calm position. "It would be safer for her if we brought her back to the hospital…" Yui stared to suggest, but Dark took Sannakii from his arms as quickly as he possibly could. Yui did not fight to get her back, but instead reached out to touch Sannakii's face. It was freezing, defying the warm summer rainstorm that she had collapsed in. Dark turned so his arm was away from Sannakii.

_"You didn't push her out the window this would have never happened to her. Don't try to be compassionate now. Just walk away before I have the urge to break all of your bones into an uncountable amount of pieces."_ Dark threatened, as Yui finally backed away from the situation and turned around, leaving in silence. Dark watched him go, then turned around and flew off to the Niwa's house. He couldn't leave Sannakii in that place, or Shadow. He knew his own sister never did well inside those places, with the smell of medicine and everything being so overly clean.

And he could bet on his life that Sannakii would never want to be in a Hospital herself because of her own family tragedy. As he flew into to Daisuke's room, he placed Sannakii down on the bed and covered her with blankets. He reached inside a pocket on his pants and pulled out a vial of clear liquid. It could have been water. He dumped the small amount of liquid down into Sannakii's mouth, and watched her reflexes swallow it.

He sighed and pulled the wet rain jacket off the floor where he had left it. He gripped Yui's jacket tightly in his hands, so tightly in fact they began to tremble. He felt Daisuke's hand on his shoulder, and the shaking subsided. Dark hung the jacket over his closet's doorknob, and then sat on the side of his bed, watching Sannakii sleep, and knowing Daisuke was watching with him.


	11. Chapter 10 Families

A/N - Just a chapter that more explains the relationship between both Daisuke, Sannakii, Shadow, and Dark. Some of my friend's wanted to see a chapter like this... So here it is. ^^ And I don't own DNAngel in anyway, shape or form. But I do own my original charecters, so no sticky fingers. :3

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The telephone rang loudly, rudely waking Daisuke up from sleep. He fell on his face, and cursed a little bit, forgetting that he had fallen asleep at the foot of his bed once Dark decided to give him his body back. He rubbed his nose as he sat up and looked over at Sannakii. She had curled up into a ball while she was sleeping, and he could remember hearing her call out to her mother and father over, over, and over again. The bruise that had been across her should, neck, and face had receded from black to a light blue and yellow. Min-Min was curled up sleeping above her head on her pillow. She looked at Daisuke, stretching out and shaking her head. She walked over to the window, looking through the pane. The thunderstorm from last night had faded away, leaving everything glistening underneath a new layer of dew and raindrops. Even the sun shined outside, and only a few passing clouds floated by it.

Everything was peaceful. Almost too peaceful. Daisuke stood up from the floor, and immediately, his mother came barging through the door, waving the phone at him angrily.

"Where is she!?" Her face was red, and she looked pretty pissed. "I just got a call from the hospital saying she was in bed last night, but she was missing this morning! Daisuke, why'd you help her out?" Emiko looked over to the bed, where Sannakii was, miraculously, even with all the noise, still sleeping. Daisuke pushed his mother out of the room and closed the door as quietly as he could.

"I didn't help her out… I- er… Dark found her outside last night during the rainstorm. She was… lying in the middle of the sidewalk at least a mile from the hospital. I don't know how she got there." Daisuke lied, biting the inside of his cheek. He was never good at thinking on his feet. Dark stifled a small laugh, as Daisuke blurted out some more "quick thinking". "It's the hospital's fault!" Emiko raised an eyebrow at him, cussing at him with her eyes.

"Of course, it's the place that wants to help her's fault. What more excuses are you going to tell me? She was supposed to come back home a week from today, and you endanger her very life by taking her from the hospital!"

"Aunt Emiko. Stop yelling." She turned shocked, towards Sannakii. Sannakii blinked her eyes twice, and then rubbed them with her good arm. Daisuke had made a sling for her broken shoulder out of some extra sheets he found in the linen closet. "It was the hospital's fault." Emiko was about to say something, but Sannakii glared right at her immediately, and that stopped her in her tracks. "Can you remember the last time you sat on the floor, hanging onto the edge of a hospital bed? Listening to the heart meter just drone away for two days… hoping that it would stabilize someday? Look at the bags feeding your mother and father blood? Hearing them scream in the night, try to escape the past?" Emiko shivered, as Daisuke sat next to his cousin, resting an arm around her shoulder. She wasn't crying, she was just staring into the sheets, like she was reading some hidden words. "You would never want to visit that place ever again. I sure as hell don't. That's why I ran away. Shadow helped me. We decided together."

Emiko sighed, and turned out of the room when the phone rang again. It was too loud to Sannakii; she cringed and twisted her neck. Emiko walked out of the room and answered the phone. It sounded like the hospital was calling to try to find out what to do with Sannakii. Daisuke sighed, standing up from the bed, Wiz hopping behind him. Sannakii pulled Min-Min into her lap with one hand, and pet her soft fur. Min-Min meowed softly and rubbed the top of her head underneath Sannakii's chin.

"Sannakii…" She looked up to Daisuke, who was looking out the window. The afternoon sun was gentle, but still very bright. It lit up his eyes, but did not distract from his serious glance. Sannakii could feel Shadow shift, waiting for the change. But it never came. Shadow gasped a little, but Sannakii didn't notice.

"What is it Daisuke?" She asked quietly, un-curling her legs so that they dangled off the side of the bed. He sighed, and looked over to her. Sannakii wanted to run over and hug him; he looked so concerned and distraught.

"Do you know about… Shadow?" Sannakii nodded, raising an eyebrow and giving him a 'no duh' face. He nodded and continued. "Do you know she has a sibling?" Sannakii shook her head, looking shocked. "Well you did at one point." He lifted his hand and brushed the line of stitches on the back on Sannakii's head. The doctors were able to work through her hair, and didn't have to cut so much off that she had a bald spot. She winced when his cold fingers made contact with the metal that was keeping the gash in her head together. "When you fell out of the window in school, you whacked your head pretty hard. You should be dead, if not that paralyzed. You're very lucky cousin. But you also forgot some information about me… And Dark."

_­-Shadow…Who is Dark? This isn't the first time I've heard you, or Daisuke, mention his name. – _Sannakii asked, as Shadow nodded, and answered without question.

_**-Sannakii, Dark is my brother. We are both what are called "Phantom Thieves" in this time. He is Daisuke's other half, just like I am the other half of you. When you first saw him in the hospital, you were scared of him because you did not remember who he was. Hopefully, you can see that he means no harm to you. None at all. – **_Shadow explained quickly, as Sannakii looked at Daisuke. She coughed lightly, before standing up and adjusting her shoulder.

"I… I want to see Dark. And just Dark. Daisuke, I don't want any part of you within him while he's out right now. Just let everything go." Sannakii demanded, as Daisuke looked at the window. He closed his eyes, and soon Dark was standing in front of the window. He flipped his hair out of his eyes, only for it to swing back right where it was. He turned and looked at Sannakii, standing only a few feet away from him. He smiled and laughed a little bit.

_"Well it seems the medicine I gave you last night helped you perk up a bit. How are you feeling…?"_ He asked, but Sannakii did not respond. He waited only a few seconds, before he looked back out and window and sighed. _"Not a big talker… I should have guessed. Didn't think you would be."_

"Dark, I want you to… help me find someone." Sannakii asked, as he looked at her out of the very corner of his eye. She hesitated for a few minutes; his amethyst eyes cut right through her. "Well, I don't know if you can actually help me… It's just…" She rubbed her feet on the ground, trying to find her word. They were lost right as she thought of them.

_"Spit it out, come on. It can't be that hard to talk."_ Dark rolled his eyes, as suddenly he was smacked across the face. Sannakii had reached up and slapped him after he spoke to her like that. He was about to crack a retort but Sannakii spoke before he could.

"Look, I don't know who you are. I want to understand you better to hopefully understand Shadow more." She said quickly, but Dark sighed.

_"Shadow can tell you more about me then I can. And just ask her, you don't have to be afraid of this other person inside of you. Daisuke was afraid of me for a little while, and now I don't think that I could live without him and his clumsiness. You must just be trying to understand this all over again, after whacking your head."_ Dark looked down on Sannakii, who nodded slightly. She then turned to Min-Min, who had fallen asleep on the bed. She pet her cat's head softly, and sighed.

"I was afraid all in the hospital. During the time I was out, after the fall and until Daisuke woke me up in the hospital, I didn't know what to do. I thought I was going to fail for Shadow, who had just been reborn. I could tell as I was lying there, being operated on, she was standing there next to me, praying for me to make it though. She has such a connection to me, and I have a connection with her. It's strange, I've only known her… for… only a few weeks…" Sannakii's voice trailed off. She looked down on the floor and slumped down to her knees at the edge of it. Dark ran over and tried to pull her up, but stood there when Sannakii pushed him away. She turned to Dark, a frantic look in her eye. "Shadow keeps telling me she can't get out! I can't turn into her because… I lost all love for the one that could turn me into Shadow… I'm afraid that it'll harm either of us if I can't change soon!"

Dark sighed, and pulled out a feather. _"I'm going to see if I can do anything about that…" _The feather glowed, and he placed it on Sannakii's back, right in between where her wing tattoos were. Sannakii hissed, gripping her back with her good arm. Dark watched the hair turn into a raven color, and Sannakii's whole body turned paler and longer. He turned away to the window, and heard Shadow stand up from the ground. She seemed to sigh, and walked to her brother.

_**"So, what are we supposed to do with her? I thought she was strong, but apparently… She can't let go of the death of her parents."**_ Shadow spoke to her brother, standing beside him. She was a few inches shorter then him, but she was a little skinner then him and less muscular. His purple hair was lighter then her raven: her hair was almost black but still held a shine of dark purple and blues. And their eyes ended the similarities: they were exact opposites of one another. _**"And especially her grandmother… So much to the point where she won't even talk about her because she'll break down. I feel a little helpless… And I know I don't help. I went into Sannakii Niwa's DNA once she was born and I left her grandmother. Sannakii knows that I couldn't be a part of her mother, because her mother married into the Niwa family. I remind Sannakii of her grandmother… and I can't help it. It hurts her, but she won't tell me."**_

_"When did you become an emotion well?" _Dark teased, as Shadow punched him playfully in the arm. She laughed slightly, but it trailed off and she sighed. _"Sannakii is afraid that she was going to fail you. I think she wants to live up to how good her grandmother was with you."_ Shadow nodded, but then suddenly turned and wrapped her arms around her brother's shoulders. She hugged him tightly, and he slowly hugged her in return. They stood there like that for a few seconds, before Shadow pulled away and walked over to the bed. She turned back into Sannakii, but not before saying, _**"Aren't siblings supposed to fight each other?"**_

Dark turned into Daisuke almost at the same moment, and the two cousins looked at each other for a moment. Daisuke smiled, and opened the door for Sannakii to walk out of.

"We'll understand our angel's soon enough." His voice calmed Sannakii, as she smiled and followed him through the door.


	12. Chapter 11 Meeting

**Chapter 11**

"So why did you drag me here again…" Sannakii whined as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail so her neck could get some air to it. She watched as Daisuke ran down to the water's edge, almost tripping twice on the way down. Sannakii looked at her Aunt, who smiled at her from underneath her brimmed hat. Sannakii sighed, kicking the sand underneath her feet.

"Well, you've been inside the house for the past week! You should have time to go outside before we bring you back to school." Emiko explained with a bright smile, giggling. Sannakii rolled her eyes and walked down the sand near the water. She stopped at the line of shells and seaweed that were washed up today during high tide. A wave crashed up the sand, pushing more seashells to where she was standing. A wind blew her black skirt to the side of her, and she pulled her arms across her stomach. She was wearing a light blue t-shirt with the design of a bird down one side. For the week she was stuck in the house, many students came to the house to see her. Some of them brought gifts, which made Sannakii a little embarrassed. The particular shirt she was wearing was from Risa. Riku had gotten her a necklace: the chain was sterling silver and it had a charm of a butterfly. Its wings were made from amethysts, and it glinted brightly under the late afternoon sun. She played with the charm, as the waves crashed up one more time, this time splashing her feet. The bruise that blossomed across one side of her face and neck was now fading. It still spread all across the right side of her face and her shoulder, but it was yellow around the edges and purple in the middle. The stitches were starting to disintegrate, and her arm was out of the sling. She could use it and move it, but it still hurt.

Emiko stood beside Sannakii, slightly making her jump. Emiko smiled at her, as Sannakii groaned. She tied the side of her skirt up in a knot, to keep it from getting wet in the water. She walked further into a crashing wave, and breathed out a sigh of content. The water was warm, and it lapped up around her ankles very slightly. She laughed as one trashed Daisuke when the wave broke over his head. She turned to Emiko, before pointing down the beach. "I'm going for a walk Auntie. I'll be back in a little bit, alright?" Sannakii didn't wait for a reply, and started walking down the beach, right at the line of shells that made a line right down the beach.

_**-Now I thought you liked the beach Sannakii. Why'd you complain so much? -**_Shadow teased, laughing a little bit. Sannakii rolled her eyes, looking down at the ground. After not getting a reply, Shadow shifted her weight to her right foot and coughed. Sannakii knew that only she could see Shadow right now, being that she was just looking inside herself and finding her other half. _**–And what in the Devil's name are you looking for? Because if you look at that sand too long, it's going to fill your brain. It might have already… - **_Shadow's voice trailed off when Sannakii leaned down to the sand and picked up a small, blue rock. Sannakii smiled brightly, and ran to the water to wash it off. Shadow was not too amused. _**–Seriously? You ran down here to get a rock? Forget sand, your head must be filled with stones! – **_Sannakii laughed.

"Shadow, you can be so dumb sometimes. This isn't a rock. It's sea glass. This color blue is very rare you know." Sannakii lifted the blue sea glass to the sun. It glowed with its rays, as Sannakii smiled and stood up from the water. "Me and Mama used to come down to the beach all the time to look for sea glass. But she was only able to find kelly green and clear pieces. She said I must have the eyes of my Grand-mama…" She didn't say anything more as she continued walking down the beach. Shadow didn't want to mention anything after Sannakii's comment about her Grandmother. She was afraid it would upset the poor girl in some way.

"You're good at finding sea glass aren't you?"

A voice startled Sannakii, causing her to drop the lavender glass she was just holding. She clutched her handful of sea glass to her breast, and looked right up at Yui. He laughed, holding a hand up in front of him, palm out. "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you. You just had so many, I had to make a comment." Sannakii picked up the piece she just had dropped, before straightening up and looking at Yui straight in the eye. Shadow stiffed, but didn't say anything to this boy's presence.

Sannakii's mind reeled. She remembers this boy only faintly, but her memory was clouded. Like a dream. She could remember meeting him somewhere, but she did not know where. She felt like she could trust him, but hate another part of him. It was all so confusing. So Sannakii did the only thing that she thought of doing.

"Why were you staring then? Creeper." She rolled her eyes, and walked past him, her hair brushing up against his face. She kneeled to turn over some broken shells, and she heard him walk after her. She looked up at him and sighed. "What do you want from me, honestly?" She spat, picking up a very small shard of brown sea glass.

"A name would be nice. Or would you rather keep spitting out asinine remarks like you have? They are wasted on me." Sannakii raised her eyebrow at him. "Do you need a dictionary, is your vocabulary not prevalent enough?" She stood up, and sighed, shaking her head.

"No, I do not need a dictionary. I also do not need wise ass creepers following me around the beach!" She yelled at him, as he grinned and laughed a little bit. She sighed, and looked off into the horizon. She held out her hand without looking at him at first, but then she turned her head slowly. "My name is Sannakii Niwa." Yui shook her hand lightly.

"My name is Yui Hashano. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." His smile was warm, but that didn't help the small gasp Shadow released from her lips. Sannakii questioned her, but she didn't answer and only looked away. "What brings you down to the beach at this time of the day? Most people have packed up all their things and left to go to dinner by now." He released Sannakii's hand. His hand had warmed up her own slightly, but once he let go, it had started to become cold again. Sannakii put all of her newly found sea glass into her pocket and kicked some sand from underneath her feet before she answered the question.

"My aunt decided that I should go outside for a little bit. And we like the evening because of the sun set. Also, I've been stuck inside from an accident… Someone had pushed me out a window. I fell. Kind of how life goes for me. I have terrible luck." Sannakii picked up a rock without looking at him. He had looked down at the ground and cursed slightly, but looked up and plastered on a sympathetic smile when Sannakii looked out of the corner of her eye at him. "Don't you even dare say, 'I'm so sorry to hear that'. I may just puke. I've heard it way to often for my liking." She threw a flat stone out onto the water and watched it skip four times before sinking down into the depths.

"I wasn't actually going to. That must suck though. You know who pushed you out the window?" Yui asked, silently hoping that she couldn't remember. That the accident had not remained in her mind.

"No. I do not remember anything about the accident. Not even the person who pushed me. All I remember is waking up in the hospital. If I knew who pushed me, I swear to god, I'm shoving him out of a plane without a goddamn parachute. See how the bastard likes it." She threw a large rock, releasing her anger with the throw. It landed far off, splashing loudly. Yui cringed at the bitterness in her voice, and rolled back on his heels. "Wait." Sannakii turned at him, crossing her arms. Her gray eyes narrowed, locking eyes with Yui. He took a small, single step back, but her eyes followed him movement. Shadow stirred and looked over her shoulder to what was happening. "I've never seen you before. Ever. Why do I know who you are? And why do I feel like I should punch your lights out multiple times? Just because of your name." Sannakii was about to continue, but didn't get to because Yui interjected.

"I have an older brother… We share the same name, mother's dumb idea. He's a feebleminded man. We're both in the same image, with a few differences." Yui rolled his eyes and shrugged, raising his arms. "You might have had the pleasure of meeting him at one point, but I wouldn't know. He's never around the house anymore." Yui looked off into the sunset, avoiding Sannakii's wary gaze.

"Right. Whatever you say." Sannakii picked up another rock and skipped it twice, before walking past Yui again. He turned his head and followed her. "And yet you still follow me. I gave you my name, and my recent life story. Anything else you want? A foot rub? A good chuck into the ocean? I can give you the second choice." She rolled her eyes before Yui laughed a little bit behind her. She turned on him, and he grinned right at her.

"You're so anti-social. You ever think that's why you don't have that many friends?" He raised one eyebrow at her.

"I have friends…" Sannakii's voice trailed off. She did. They were Risa and Riku. They were good enough friends, weren't they? She really only needed two good friends, right? Sure, many kids come to her house to visit her when she was ill, but that was just common courtesy. But who needed to surround themselves with so many people? "Why do you care?" She quickly answered, trying to cover up her busily thinking mind. Yui chuckled, but then locked her straight in the eye and his smile faded.

"Because it's always safer to be surrounded by people that like you, then be surrounded with people that hate you."

"Sannakii! Where'd you go?!" Daisuke yelled down the beach, trying to make contact with her. She didn't hear him, but was lost in Yui's eyes. She didn't know what was going on, but he kept looking into her eyes like there was treasure to be found there. She felt like someone was pushing on a weak wall in her mind, trying to get in. Someone uninvited. She shook her head, and focused on talking. Shadow also pushed against the strange feeling in her head, and soon it was gone. Sannakii closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, missing Yui being pushed back when her and Shadow pushed against the invisible force together. Sannakii looked at Yui, who was looking at the ground, turning over shells when Daisuke came running up behind her. He smiled at her, and she lifted a hand, smiling lightly. He then looked right down at Yui, who lifted his head and looked right at him too. "Who's this Sannakii?" Daisuke noticed him right away. His voice became guarded and he curled his hands into fists.

"This is Yui. I just met him. Does Emiko want to go home?" Daisuke nodded at Sannakii's question, and she nodded back in return. Turning to Yui, she extended her hand for a shake. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you soon." He took her hand and shook it, and then her and Daisuke turned and walked away. Yui sighed, sitting on the sand, the water covering his feet. He took out a pocket watch, it's bright gold cover glinting with the patterns of two dragons flying, intertwined. He flipped it open, and looked at the hand in the clock. They were frozen at 12:00. He sighed, laying back. _–Damn strong-minded girls. I need to inscribe with her somehow… But to make her trust me… That's another story. – _He lifted himself off the sand and walked in the opposite direction that the cousins had left him.

"Sannakii… I need to tell you something about that Yui figure." Daisuke stopped, pulling her arm so she would stop with him. She nodded, urging him to go on. "He brought you home last night, when your escape attempt to the hospital failed." Her eyes widened, but he held up his hand to let him finish speaking. "Also. They boy who had pushed you out the window's name was Yui. Although he looked completely different, you and I should be very well aware that people are not always what they seem." Sannakii's jaw dropped as she looked back to where she just was with Yui. Seeing he was missing, Sannakii ran off to the water, up to her knees. Her skirt clung to her legs, and she screamed loudly into the ocean's waves.

"Son of a bitch!" She yelled, throwing the lavender sea glass she found on the beach when she encountered Yui into the depths of the ocean.


	13. Chapter 12 Despair

**Chapter 12**

Sannakii sat in her room, most of the lights off besides the one lamp next to her bed. Her black nightgown replaced her day clothes, and the sun had set many hours before. She looked inside her bathroom, watching the seawater drip off her black skirt down into her shower. It was still soaked from her beach trip today. She sighed, looking away from her skirt and down to her feet. Min-Min was perched on her shoulder, purring loudly into her ear. Sannakii pet her cat slowly, but her eyes were in other world. So was her mind. What was that Yui person? She had to know. She had to get to know him better. Somehow. She didn't matter what situation it would stick her into, she just needed to know what to do about him. Sannakii saw the image of Shadow sitting beside her, Shadow's bright yellow eyes striking through the dim lit room right at Sannakii.

_**-Sannakii. I know what you're thinking. You can't hide that from me, no matter how hard you try. - **_Shadow placed her hand on Sannakii's shoulder. _**-Please, explain to me what's going on. I know you're thinking about this Yui boy. I know you're confused.-**_ Sannakii looked at Shadow out of the corner of her eye. She sighed, and turned to her other half.

"You seem to know something. But what is it? Your memory of the incident might be faltered like mine. I can't remember. Daisuke can't even be sure, and he's not the one who fell on his head." Sannakii looked at the ground again.

_**-You're right Sannakii. I know something.-**_ Sannakii looked up hopefully, a smile almost starting to creep up on her face. _**–But it's not something you want to hear. I do know about that Yui boy. He did rescue you yesterday. That's a fact. Daisuke even told you that. However, I do remember that day we fell out the window. The man who pushed you out the window… His name was Yui Hashano. However, he was much older, and he didn't look like the little Yui you met today.-**_ Sannakii's brow furrowed, and then she sighed.

"Maybe he was telling the truth. About having an older brother, with the same name, but not the same appearance." Sannakii pushed herself up from the ground, and sat back down on her bed. Min-Min padded softly across the large bed to the other side, and curled up on one of the pillows. "But…" Sannakii laid down on her bed, over her covers, and looked at the ceiling. The long day was now weighing down on her, the sleep she desperately needed was hitting her like a truck. "Daisuke may be right… Everything is not what they appear to be…" Sannakii's eyes closed slowly, and she slipped away into dreams. Shadow remained sitting at the foot of Sannakii's bed, arms pulling her knees close to her chest. She rested her head on her knees and sighed. Being strong for herself was difficult.

Being strong for Sannakii too was a completely different story.

----

Sannakii blinked her eyes a couple of times when the loud alarm next to her bed sang out obnoxiously. She turned over and smacked it three times before successfully turning it off. Stretching, she swung her legs over the edge and walked over to her window. The sun was just rising; the sky was just shedding its morning shade of pink. The leaves were starting to loose their bright green and slowly turn yellow, even more of an indication that summer was ending. A quick rasp at the door broke Sannakii out of her little daydream, and she turned to see Emiko standing in the door. Her aunt smiled to see that her niece was actually awake and moving before she spoke. "You better wear something like a turtle neck today Sannakii," Emiko's eyes drifted to the bruise that was still very apparent across her shoulder and neck. "And maybe some cover up for your face. You don't want to walk around school sporting that wound off, do you?"

"I'll be fine Emiko. It'll be self explanatory about why it's there, so there shouldn't be too many people bugging me about it," Sannakii smiled weakly, before yawning and rolling her shoulders back to stretch. Emiko smiled and left the room. Sannakii walked over to close her door so she could get ready in peace. Min-Min was still sleeping; the loud purring was the only sound through the room. When Sannakii stood in front of the mirror in her room, her hand drifted up to the right side of her face. Her fingers trailed along the outside of the bruise and felt the swelling on her body. She knew it continued to the other side of her shoulder where she couldn't see it. The colors purple and yellow mixed within the bruise to make a hideous coloration. She didn't focus, and then it all rushed back at her.

---

"Grandma! C'mon, let me have my doll!" Sannakii giggled, trying to pull the little Pikachu doll she won at a park away from an older woman. The old woman had a soft, kind face and wispy brown hair that sat on the top of her head in a bun. Her gray eyes matched little Sannakii's perfectly. Sannakii pouted and turned away from her Grandma in the car, making her Grandma burst out laughing.

"Now, my little girl, what do you say? It's not polite to say 'gimme' and grab something for your grandmother," Grandma teased. Sannakii crossed her arms over her chest and didn't look; trying to pretend like nothing was sitting next to her. "Alright then. I guess you don't want this doll. It's mine then." Then Sannakii looked at her and said in a small voice, "Please?" Then the Pikachu doll was handed back to her. She smiled and giggled, reaching over to give Grandma a hug.

"You spoil her too much Mother." Sannakii's mother looked over her shoulder from the passengers seat and smiled at her daughter. She had long red hair and green colored eyes. "Sometimes, Sannakii, you're going to have to get some things on your own." Sannakii stuck her tongue out at her mother, but when Grandma gave her a stern look, she quickly sucked it back in and uttered a small 'sorry' before going back to play with her doll.

"Oh Leila, let your daughter have some fun! She's only 12. She should be allowed to have something that cheers her up." Grandma smiled sweetly at Leila who looked at Sannakii. She was oblivious to everything occurring around her, before she yawned and leaned her Pikachu doll on the window and fell asleep. Grandma leaned forward and whispered to her daughter-in-law, "She won't be able to have little children fun much longer you know. And if you don't ask my son over there."

"She knows about it Mother. You don't have to remind her." The man who was driving looked back at his daughter, making sure she was sound asleep. His hair was the same pale blue as Sannakii, but his eyes were brown. "I'm so mad that we can't do anything about it though. She shouldn't have this family line forced on her…"

"But she has no choice Devin. You knew about this from when you were a little boy. I remember when you were little, you always wanted a daughter so you could be a proud parent of a Shadow Thief."

"That was in the past Mother. Now that I have a little girl…" He looked back at Sannakii who was sound asleep before turning his eyes back onto the road. "I don't want to lose her to some stranger. I don't want her to be forced into anything she doesn't want to be."

"I agree with Devin." Leila nodded her head.

"I'm sorry you two, but Sannakii is going to have Shadow passed on into her. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it, and I'm sorry my family line had tainted your genes." Grandma pet Sannakii's head as Devin turned back to look at her.

"Mother, your genes are-"

"Devin! Look out!" Leila screamed loudly. Sannakii jolted awake and looked around confused. Devin's looked immediately back to the road. He saw it coming, the car the swerved wildly across the road into their lane. He hammered on the breaks and turned the car, trying to get out of the way of the swerving, speeding driver. But the car mimicked his movement, and it was too late to make any other moves away.

The two cars collided. Sannakii remember Leila screaming, but then it was gone. The other car smashed right into the side where Leila and Grandma were sitting. Sannakii was thrown through her window, the shards of glass cutting her arms and face. She gripped onto the Pikachu doll for her life, before she rolled out onto the grass next to the road. She immediately started crying and her entire body was shaking. The silence was deafening after the extreme sound of the crash. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to get up. She could smell blood and smell smoke. She curled up into a ball and hugged her Pikachu tight.

Red flashing lights woke her up. The sirens were too loud. Sannakii lifted her head up, just to see many police cars and ambulances. Men were prying two crashed cars apart. What happened Sannakii thought as she stood up. A policeman looked in her direction, and looked shocked. He walked over to her slowly, his head reached out to her. She was confused. Why was he being so kind? But he's a policeman, he couldn't be that bad… She took his hand and he lifted her up. He walked back to the cars, as Sannakii looked around. There was glass and shards of metal everywhere. Blood smeared the pavement, and there was a good trail of it leading to where Sannakii was just laying in the grass.

"I found a survivor! It's their daughter!" The policeman yelled out, and an EMT took Sannakii from the policeman. He immediately examined her cuts and wounds, and then took her to the ambulance.

"Hey, we're going to take you to a hospital, ok? You're going to be alright, so don't you worry." The EMT walked towards an ambulance. Sannakii looked down and saw three bags, but two were not fully closed. Just peaking out from the top of those two were two faces, both female. The cuts were deep and everything was malformed and broken. He saw her eyes drift there and whistled. Two other men quickly covered the women's faces, and he moved Sannakii into the ambulance quickly. The doors shut and the sirens were muffled. She could feel the truck moving, but she was in too much of a daze. Lying down in front of her breathing heavily was another man. He has deep cuts all over his face and a large purple bruise that was beginning to form on the side of his face. He was gasping for air, his eyes closed in pain. The medic was trying to patch up his arm and stop the bleeding. Sannakii suddenly screamed. The man opened his eyes and looked at her, the brown eyes were unfocused and lost.

"Daddy!" She yelled, and looked around. "Mommy, Grandma!" She screamed, starting to cry again. Then she remembered the two women in the big black bags. She cried even more, gripping her Pikachu. And all she could see was the blood. So much blood.

---

Sannakii shook her head and jolted back into reality. Her hand was still on her bruise, and Min-Min was still purring loudly in the background. Sannakii stood there for a few seconds before ripping open her dresser and taking out her uniform. She threw it on quickly, running a brush through her hair. Right before she left she threw cover up onto her face and covered up the bruise.


	14. Chapter 13 Relief

**Chapter 13**

Sannakii walked slightly behind Daisuke as they entered the school grounds, her eyes glued on the ground. She hugged her books tightly to her chest as she passed by kids. She knew their eyes were glued on her. They all wanted to talk to her, but she was some unapproachable person to them right now.

_-I know exactly what they're thinking…-_ Sannakii thought bitterly, closing her eyes tightly and continuing to follow Daisuke's footsteps. She opened her eyes quickly after though, to make sure she didn't trip over anything. _–Just like that time… They're just asking themselves. How did she survive? How is she still walking? Why is she still alive? That's all they think…-_ She shook her head quickly, and almost missed the small voice attempting to get her attention.

"Sannakii? Hey, it's Risa and Riku." Sannakii looked up, just as Daisuke left them to talk together. Sannakii walked closer to them, barely keeping eye contact with the sisters. She smiled weekly, but then winced and rubbed her neck. The sisters both reached for her, but Sannakii quickly took a step back. She recovered once she saw the look of hurt flash thought Risa's eyes.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm just really stressed this morning, and the looks people are giving me…" She looked at the other people passing them in the hallway. "It all just isn't helping me that much." She watched as Risa broke off and went into her class. Riku continued to walk with her, but then turned and smiled.

"You're wearing my necklace." She said, almost awkwardly. Sannakii looked down, and played with the amethyst butterfly charm and sighed. Riku suddenly backtracked what she said. "Not to sound like I'm mad that you're wearing it or anything! It looks really nice on you, and I'm happy you're wearing it and-"

"Riku, please. Stop. I'm tired of being looked at like I'm a freak and like I am like… some massive disaster survivor. I hate it. It bothers me. And I don't need it, or your sympathy right now. I don't need anyone's sympathy." Riku was about to apologize, but Sannakii had already stormed away and walked briskly into her next class. She blocked out everyone, everything until she walked into her classroom. She took her usual seat. Which was still right next to the windows. She dared for people to look at her as she sat up straight in her chair, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and looked directly ahead. Some people who were even curious to ask her questions were freaked away by her rigid posture. Even Takashi steered away from her, which only made her seem that much more unapproachable. She remained this way until her eyes drifted over to the door and right at Mr. Shinori as he walked in. No one said anything to him, so Sannakii assumed he was once at the class during her absence. Their eyes met in a steady staring contest that lasted at least for fifteen seconds. Some kids shifted uncomfortably in their seat, the gazes were creating an even heavier atmosphere in the room then the one that had even started.

"You must be the Miss Niwa, am I correct?" The substitute continued his way over to the desk and tapped the stack of papers down on it before placing them down gently on the top. His liquid red eyed never left Sannakii the whole time.

"Yeah? What's it to you what my name is or not?" Sannakii spit out, blinking once. She narrowed her eyes at Mr. Shinori, daring him to ask her another question with her eyes. Shadow, back in Sannakii's subconscious, was also glaring with her lightning yellow eyes, and hissed under her breath.

_**- I do not like the look of this man one bit, Sannakii. I wouldn't trust him, and I can bet you that he really isn't here just to teach your class. Be careful. -**_ Shadow warned her partner, who nodded to herself to show Shadow that she heard her. Mr. Shinori was passing out worksheets, and took a good minute before he responded to Sannakii.

"I was just wondering if I would have to mark you as absent for another day, or if I could mark that you were actually present in class today, Miss Niwa. There's no reason to get a sharp tone with me, I'm just doing my job." He smirked at Sannakii when he gave her a worksheet, and then turned away from her and left her alone once again. "Class, this worksheet is due at the end of the class time." Kids complained, but then Mr. Shinori returned to the back of his desk and began to scribble into a notebook he brought with him. Sannakii quietly returned to the worksheet and finished it without thinking twice about what she was writing down or if it even made any sense to anyone that wasn't her. Once she was finished, she drifted off and looked out the window, at the length of the drop from the ledge to the ground. She shouldn't have survived, but someone must be looking out for her.

Sannakii sighed. Maybe, if someone just looked out for her Mom, Dad, and Grandmother, maybe then they would still be alive, she wouldn't be in this damn predicament on her own, and she would still be happy. She wouldn't have fallen out of a window, and a multitude of other things. It was during her daydreaming that she noticed Satoshi was looking intently at her neck where the bruise would be, if not covered by pounds of make-up. She rolled her eyes at him and flipped her hair over her neck so he would just be staring at an eyeful of her glossy light blue hair.

Satoshi returned back to 'working' on his worksheet, which he could have completed maybe ten times by now. He looked back over to Sannakii and then to Mr. Shinori, thinking to himself. _–It seems that Sannakii has a bounty on her head for some reason… I don't have to focus much on her anymore if the Twins are going after her… But why the Twins, I do not know… I need to find out more about this before I can even think of getting into this batch of trouble.-_ When the bell rang, him and Sannakii got up and handed in their papers at the same time. He smiled at Sannakii when he was next to her, and quietly said, "It's good to see you back in school, Sannakii." She murmured a quick thanks but quickly turned around, gathered her books and left. Satoshi almost laughed.

Daisuke was running to meet up with Sannakii after school, meeting both Riku and Risa talking with her underneath a tree. Leaves fell peacefully around the trio and small streams of lights would dance across them as the branches blew in the breeze. Peace, that's all Sannakii really needed. But before he could get there, someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him around the side of the building. Daisuke yelped in surprise, but his surprise quickly faded when he saw Yui standing in front of him, wearing their school's uniform. He sighed. "Don't tell me. You're joining our classes in school." Now, it was Yui's turn to laugh.

"No, I've been here in classes for the whole year so far. Don't jump the gun on me." Daisuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but Dark covered that for him. Yui continued on his talk quickly. "I just want you to give this to Sannakii for me. Tell her it's from me, and it's a "Welcome Back to School" gift. I figure she's had enough of the "Get Better Soon" gifts and would love to see a present that's not associated with getting better soon." Yui handed Daisuke a small, velvet box which fit perfectly in Daisuke palm.

_-Dark. Can you feel any magic or forces coming from this box? Anything at all? I want to make sure it's safe before I give something from Yui to Sannakii.-_ Daisuke quickly asked Dark, who shook his head after looking at the box himself for a good few seconds.

_-Nothing at all that I can see, Daisuke. Seems like a normal, harmless present. Thank him, I guess. – _Dark shrugged, looking back up at Yui.

Daisuke smiled and put the box into his pocket. "She'll really appreciate it Yui. Thank you." Yui released a breath of relief and shook Daisuke's hand with enthusiasm.

"No, no Daisuke! Thank you for passing it on to her! I'll see you tomorrow!" And before Daisuke could get another word in, he jumped the fence surrounding the school grounds and ran off through the woods. Daisuke stood there, a little confused. Finally, he shrugged and walked back to where he saw the three girls before. When he got there, both Riku and Risa had left, and Sannakii was calmly waiting underneath the tree, resting up against the large trunk. She looked up and smiled. He almost wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. He was, honestly, very happy to see that she was getting a little bit more comfortable back in school and around her old friends. Even Dark seemed to be relived to see it. If only a little bit.

"Hey Daisuke. You ready to head home?" Daisuke nodded. Sannakii threw her notebook into her bag, rolling her shoulder around a couple of times before beginning to walk away from the school grounds with her cousin. They remained silent for a couple of seconds before Daisuke decided to speak up.

"So, how did your day at school go…?" His question trailed off, not knowing where he should take that question and where it should go. Sannakii noticed and giggled slightly, before sighing and answering.

"It was fine, Daisuke. The usual. People asking me what happened, if I was ok, how I didn't die. I was never able to tell any of them much, but hey. They can get what they get and not complain about it." Sannakii smiled and looked up into the cloudy sky. Her gray eyes matched the color of the swarming storm clouds overhead. "Daisuke? May I ask you a question?" She looked at him, and waited fro him to motion for her to go on. "You know, that substitute. Mr. Shinori. He creeped me out. Was he there when I was in the Hospital?"

"Actually, he's been here for a long time. Like, the same week you were first in the Hospital he showed up. He's been running the classes like what you saw today ever day since then. No one's been able to say anything about it to him because every chickens out of saying anything when they get the chance to." Sannakii snorted and brushed a stray bang out of her face. "You're the first one to give him anything that resembles attitude."

"Doesn't that sound like the first day I was here?" Sannakii joked, letting loose a small fit of laughter. After she was done, her smile faded slowly. She remembered what Shadow had told her during class. That she shouldn't trust that man. Sannakii felt it too. A dark power that was luring her to him, pulling her to talk and associate with him. Sannakii didn't know if that was pulling on Shadow or herself, but she had to get Daisuke to promise to her. "Daisuke never let me ever talk to Mr. Shinori without someone with me. Please. Can you make sure of that?"

"I promise Sannakii. Oh! I almost forgot. Someone wanted me to pass this to you." Daisuke reached into his pocket for Yui's present and handed it softly into Sannakii's hand. "It was from Yui, and he said it's not a 'Feel Better Soon' gift, but a 'Welcome Back to School' gift." Sannakii couldn't help but smile at the joke, even though she didn't want anything to do with Yui. She held the velvet box before placing it in her bag. She kept it there until she was alone in her room later that night. She sat on her bed, turning it over and over, debating on opening it. Min-Min was sitting in front of her, watching the turning of the box like she was hypnotized.

_**- You going to open it or just keep staring at it? I want to see what's inside! –**_ Shadow teased Sannakii, who laughed to herself. Sannakii stopped twirling it, and slowly lifted the lid. What she saw caught her breath right in her throat. A bright ruby-colored shard of sea glass was artfully placed into a gold ring. _**– Wow, I'm impressed. The kid must have some money with him. Or some really good hidden skill at making jewelry. -**_ Sannakii smiled, and tried it on her finger. It fit almost perfectly, just the tiniest bit big. But it didn't bother her one bit. She giggled in spite of herself. Shadow kept staring at her like she had twelve heads, and rolled her eyes. _**– Someone's got a cruuuush. Sannakii and Yui sitting in a tree… -**_ Shadow teased her other half in a sing-song voice. Sannakii placed the ring back in its box and back on her side dresser before shooting a glance at Shadow out of the corner of her eyes. A small blush was slowly appearing across her cheekbones.

"I do not, Shadow!" Sannakii rolled over in her bed and turned off the light, Min-Min curling up on the pillow above Sannakii's head. "And if I did, what's it to you…" Sannakii yawned and drifted off to sleep. Shadow watched her sleeping for a little while. She smiled, and then left her other half to sleep.


End file.
